Motorists and residents however use these roundabouts daily.
Located to the west of Nîmes, they are among the busiest roundabouts in the city. Among the many users of these sectors, and it is the same for local residents, few know the exact name assigned to each of these roundabouts which are often named in relation to the proximity of the places. How many times, for example, have we heard from motorists that they are “stranded in Carémeau” ? A short stroll around Saint-Césaire, and here is the opportunity to discover, or to remember, these appellations.
Departure from the district-village SNCF station and head east via the Rouquairol road. Here we are at the first crossroads, often called, in the popular imagination, “du Maréchal-Juin” : now he is officially baptized “Rond-point du Four-à-chaux”, due to the ancient existence, estimated in the 19th century, of a lime kiln then located at the corner of the Rouquairol road and the RN 113. It should be noted that here, as in the other cases, the term roundabout is wrongly used because they are roundabout intersections, the difference being in the conditions of access to these intersections: to enter a roundabout, it is the priority on the right which applies, while in a roundabout intersection, priority must be given to vehicles engaged coming from the left.
Kennedy, Carémeau, French-Free? False
Now, direction Avignon, along the RN 113. You reach the crossroads commonly called “Nîmes-west”, while it is the “Roundabout of the Kilometer-Delta”, located next to the eponymous area. From there, head north towards Alès, taking avenue du pasteur Marc-Boegner (RN 106 or route d’Alès for the elders) and arrive at the crossroads formed by avenues Boegner, Kennedy and Français -Free, to which users assign various names such as “Kennedy”, “Carémeau” or “of the Free French “. Its official name is “Frankfurt-on-the-Oder roundabout”, German town twinned with Nîmes.
Finally, this short course ends a stone’s throw from the CHU Carémeau. After a short walk along avenue Kennedy, place at the crossroads located at the bottom of the Vatel Institute, hence the name “Vatel” generally attached to this place. Its exact name is “Rond-point Melvin-Jones”, named after the founder, in 1917, of the humanitarian organization Lions clubs international. End of the walk around these four roundabouts for so many names that are often overlooked by Nîmes. A fact that probably applies to many other districts than that of Saint-Césaire.
Free Midi Correspondent: 06 87 35 18 06
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