La Rochelle, France
Urban and interurban multimodal public transport
Summary
At the beginning of the 80s, La Rochelle launched a voluntary re-structuring and development policy for public transport. Alternative means of transport to cars were put into place within the conurbation: sea-buses, collective taxis, buses to outlying areas, vehicles for the disabled etc. High performance travel management systems were adopted. La Rochelle also developed the use of electric vehicles (cars, scooters, commercial vehicles), notably through a hire system to private or commercial users.
Objectives
To re-organise travel in order to decrease town centre traffic, to encourage alternative modes of transport and to offer new public spaces to people. Overall objectives are: fighting pollution, controlling urban development, improving the living environment, strengthening the city's features as an attractive centre and fighting social exclusion. The conurbation intends to support the association of the various modes of transport and intermodality with all the partners involved.
State of the project
New projects are being studied, particularly the Urban Travel Plan (PDU).
Context
La Rochelle is a town of 72,000 inhabitants on the Atlantic coast, renowned for a rich historical and cultural heritage. The City has been dealing with environmental issues for a long time. Twenty years ago, inhabitants were sorting their household waste and were offered innovative transport solutions. In 1981, the Mayor clearly opted for re-structuring and developing public transport while respecting a number of principles: the right to transport for all, innovation, quality and efficiency, partnership, technology and communications.
On 1st January 1993, the La Rochelle Conurbation Towns Community (CDV) was set up. It gradually extended to other communes, currently involving 18, bringing together 135,000 inhabitants. The transport and travel policy was extended to this whole area, the only relevant way to design a coherent urban and interurban transport policy. The CDV has been given the right of "travel organisation" to implement an effective public transport system.
Strategy
To respond to all travel needs, the CDV substituted the public/private transport alternative to individual/public transport alternative. The CDV chose to develop public transport whether collective, semi-collective or individual by offering a whole range of services capable of covering the complementarity of travel. These services, under the common name "Autoplus”, aim to respond to the mobility needs of each type of user. The CDV also encouraged the use of bicycles and walking, and started promoting the use of electrical vehicles as early as 1986. At present, the CDV is planning its future PDU and has launched a review of the Structure Plan for the Conurbation including a significant section on transport, and it is drawing up an environmental charter.
Activities
The La Rochelle Conurbation Towns Community (CDV) has significantly widened its transport offer to ensure complementarity between the various modes of travel. Public transport is assured by normal and articulated buses within the urban perimeter, and by coaches in the outlying areas. A system of collective taxis has been set up in the areas that cannot be reached by public transport or for when buses stop working. Some 82 taxi call terminals are distributed throughout the conurbation. If four people wish to go to the same place, the price of a ride is the same as a bus ticket. Eight vehicles have been especially fitted to carry disabled people. There are also two sea buses, one links the Old Harbour and the Yachting Harbour. The other one, "le Passeur”, crosses the Old Harbour and the sea channel. Finally, La Rochelle also has self-drive minibuses, self-service public bicycles (the famous yellow bikes of La Rochelle), and electric scooters and cars for short-term hire since May 1995.
Intermodal interchange locations have been created on the edge of the town. The best example is on Place de Verdun and takes all modes of travel. Other projects are planned: the CDV has just acquired a second "Passeur” that is electric powered; it also intends to increase its fleet of electric vehicles and to set up a self-service system for the electric vehicles.
Two types of technological innovation have been developed, one to encourage people to use these new modes of transport, one is a magnetic ticket system, the other an efficient piloting system fitted on all vehicles - the AGIL system (La Rochelle Assistance to Management and Information). This is an aid to driving, to traffic flow control, which also provides assistance for users (information displays on buses and on public terminals at bus stops). Finally, La Rochelle inaugurated the principle of a car free day, organised on 9th September 1997.
Partners
The Charente-Maritime Department is one of those with considerable inter-communality. The will to work together and ignore the geographical boundaries created by current administrative divisions has once again been achieved with the extension of the Urban Transport Perimeter (PTU) of the CDV. To ensure transport facilities to the last nine local authorities joining, with affordable financial costs for the managing authority and with good conditions for users, the CDV is associated with the Department. Under the terms of an agreement signed by both parties, interurban transport companies continue the services they provided before the PTU was extended, while offering the new services required within the conditions set by the CDV. The Department is responsible for school buses for the children living in the last nine communes. The CDV is responsible for promoting the services. In addition, a study has just been launched to establish a common tariff policy between urban and interurban transport. The Region, the Department and SNCF (Rail) are associated with it. Satisfaction of the population, better control of financial conditions, respect for each providers' autonomy of management of transport policies, setting-up and financing joint actions: the result of the cooperation is positive.
Financing and resources
The two main sources for the operating budget for the Transport and Travel service are: the transport payment and a part of the general CDV budget representing FFr 13.5 million (7% of the overall CDV budget; average cost FFr 100 per year per inhabitant in the conurbation). The main operating and service expenses are the deficiency subsidy paid to the La Rochelle Community Transport Authority (RTCR) and the cost of the services offered to the new communes. Some 50% of the proceeds from the RTCR, which has its own operating budget, come from the deficiency subsidy, 30% come from direct revenues and 20% from indirect revenue (contribution from the State and the Department towards school transport and from the local authorities for the transport social policy).
In November 1995, the entry of new communes into the Urban Transport Perimeter led the CDV to look closely at the question of setting prices on its regular routes. As early as March 1996, the Community Council opted for intermunicipal solidarity by adopting a single price bus ticket for the whole of the territory covered. This standardisation has led to an average 30% price decrease over the new member communes.
Outcomes and impact
Each day, an average 40,000 people pass through the Place de Verdun, the urban and interurban interchange. The vehicles fitted for disabled users have enabled the transport of 22,000 people over 150 000 km in 1996. Over 200 electric vehicles are currently in use in the conurbation. A traffic plan, adopted in 1996, limits car traffic in the town centre or at least restricts through traffic.
The experiment tried by La Rochelle in terms of electric vehicles has generated new activity within the area, such as the siting of an EDF [electricity board] centre responsible for re-charging infrastructures and a research centre for electric vehicles as well as new partnerships involving the universities, schools and business in research and development for instance.
The fact that some communes now benefit from a public transport system designed on the scale of the CDV, means that some households can avoid the purchase of a second vehicle. It also allows children and teenagers to travel by themselves and to have access to all the cultural and sports services and facilities in the conurbation. This policy also meets the expectations of young retired people who have come to Charente-Maritime from the Paris area and demand more public transport facilities.
The implementation of a public transport policy at CDV level creates an area of solidarity between the communes involved and particularly between town and rural areas. This solidarity is also at a financial level since the local authorities have agreed on a FFr 8 single price for tickets bought separately and FFr 5,90 for tickets bought in books.
Obstacles and difficulties
The geographical layout of the various sites of work, consumption, and housing has a significant impact on travel. Town planning is a long-term project. The objective is to seek a better balance between the various modes of transport, and to restore freedom of choice in terms of transport mode in the face of the quasi-hegemony of cars.
- Multimodality is not a utopia, but peoples' mobility behaviour patterns are not rational.
- Intermodality depends on organising transport systems which were not originally designed to work together.
- The provision of loops, interchanges, ring-roads, etc. makes getting from A to B easier by car: modal transfer tends to the car.
- The current model for urban development, in which distances are compensated for by speed of transit, is showing its limitations. Can there be coherence between urban planning and mobility without damaging the existing dynamics or curbing freedoms?
Transferability
The development of intermodality must achieve interconnection, that is the setting up of real centres of interchange where, in technical terms, the changeover from one mode to another is completely organised. The aim is to develop these multimodal and intermodal interchange centres where the user will have a single information point whatever the mode of transport or the destination chosen, and a common or even single ticket office for all modes. This project is being implemented for the current interchange centre and being examined for the SNCF railway station.
Essential points
The CDV is pursuing its multimodal and intermodal transport policy within the framework of the PDU currently being developed. For the new Minimes district, which is located between the railway station and the Minimes yachting harbour, an experimental public transport system is being studied, in terms of a tramway on a dedicated lane. The programme encouraging electric vehicles is to be pursued. In partnership with distribution and parcel delivery companies, the CDV has a project to set up a delivery and courier service using electric vehicles for goods to be delivered to the city centre or to be sent out from the city centre.
Additional information
Monsieur Michel-Martial DURIEUX, Vice-Président
Communauté de Villes de l'Agglomération de La Rochelle
6, rue Saint-Michel
BP 1287
17086 La Rochelle Cedex 02
Telephone : 33 05 46 51 53 04
Fax : 33 05 46 51 53 29
Monsieur Jean-Pierre ROI, Directeur général des Services Techniques
Chargé du Développement Urbain
25 Quai Maubec
BP 1287
17086 La Rochelle Cedex 02
Telephone : 33 05 46 51 53 57
Fax : 33 05 46 51 53 58
Monsieur Jean-Marie GRELLIER, Ingénieur en Chef
Service Transports et Déplacements
25 Quai Maubec
BP 1287
17086 La Rochelle Cedex 02
Telephone : 33 05 46 51 51 67
Fax : 33 05 46 51 53 27
This case study was drawn from a summary report produced by the 'Association 4D' (Dossiers et Débats pour le Développement Durable [Issues and Debates on Sustainable Development]) dated March 1996: "Les villes françaises et le développement durable [French cities and sustainable development]" Summary report, case studies and data sheets. B. Duhamel, C. Emelianoff, L. Héland, C. Menneghin and J. P. Piéchaud. pp. 42-48
This study was published in the book Les villes françaises pour le développement durable [French cities for sustainable development]. United Nations Conference on human settlements. Habitat II. City Summit, Istanbul, 3-14 June 1996. Book published by the Ministry for the Environment in June 1996. pp.54-57
This sheet was also taken from the video "Quatre collectivités en quête de développement durable [Four local authorities in search of sustainable development]” from the Ministry for Territorial Development and the Environment, Nature and Countryside Directorate, November 1997.
Acknowledgements
The text for this project summary was developed by
l'association 4D (Dossiers et débats pour le
développement durable), Paris - E-mail:association4d@globenet.org, 1999.
© ICLEI, 1999. See Impressum.