Traffic regulation in the high valley of the Clarée

Best Practice

Topics

• Mobility
• Protected areas, Policies and instruments

Short description

The Clarée valley is beautiful, attractive and fragile ; it is confronted with important flows of visitors (more than 1 500 cars/day in the summer). During the touristical season, a shuttle service is organised for between the village of Névache and the end of the valley, which is a cul de sac. The traffic on the road is very limited during daytime; fences have been put on the road to stop individual cars from driving and parking on it. This system preserves the environment, making it more appreciable for visitors and residents.

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Project executive

(1) Conseil Général Hautes-Alpes : it has the competence to manage the transport plan for the département, commune de Névache (2) cluster of communities (communauté de communes) of the Briançonnais : it is responsible for the management of the "National Great Site" (Opération Grand Site) programme (décret ministériel 31/07/92: classement du site) which has several objectives including the management of the flow of tourists.

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Participants

(1) Conseil Général Hautes Alpes : transport department and technical service of Briançon (2) Community of Névache (3) Cluster of the Briançonnais (4) Employees missioned by Névache and the Conseil Général during the summer season (5) 7 local transport companies

Objectives

The general objective is to preserve this remarkable site from all forms of pollution, to make it more friendly for visitors and residents. Less traffic in the high valley; less cars parked randomly along the road and on the alpine prairies (consuming a lot of space); ensure a comfortable way from Fontcouverte to Laval for cyclists and walkers, since the road is usually closed all day. Less pollution in general (visual, sonor, air).

Activities

The road is closed to cars once the 2 parking lots at the end of the valley are full (usually aroung 9:00 am). The information (schedule of closing and opening of the road) is directly given to the visitors thanks to digital sign boards at the entrance of the village. Certain exceptions are allowed for people with special permits. Once the road is closed, the visitors are offered the possibility to drive to the end of the valley in mini buses which have a capacity of 20 passangers. The shuttles do about 40 trips back and forth per day. The quality of the parking possibilities has been improved and walking paths to acceed to the high valley have been restored. It is even possible to leave the cars out of the valley, since there are 5 shuttles a day coming and going from Briançon to Névache.

Process

The project is running since 3 years. After each season a public meeting is organised to report on the season.

Results

The results correspond to the objectives. The alternative mobility system has substituted the "all car" system which prevailed before, ensuring a reduction of the traffic jams in the valley. The wild parking of cars has disappeared. The impact of mobility on the environment has been reduced: the road infrastructures are less damaged; the pollution (atmosphere and visual) is estimated to be reduced (although no scientifical study has yet been carried out); the arrival conditions of visitors in the valley is improved (time gain and less stress). The visitors finally have the possibility to discover the valley with a more "natural", less common aspect. The operation has permitted to create 4-6 seasonal contracts. The number of visitors transported by shuttles has increased between 2003 (43 000 passangers) and 2004 (50 000 passangers). The efficiency of the system was evaluated during the first season by a satisfaction survey which revealed that almost everybody (93%) agreed on the utility of the shuttles.

Evaluation

In 2003, 2000 questionairs were distributed. Out of 360 answers, 90% of the people found the initiative good or excellent.

Difficulties

The main difficulties occur when the traffic is the most intense : on days with beautiful weather or when a storm breaks out. It is difficult to bring the shuttlebuses to the same place at one time and to make the passengers wait. It is a frequent problem in transport systems, particularly when there is only one possible arrival point. The number of shuttlebuses (7 to this day) can not be increased for organisational reasons and due to the costs, compared to the comfort created. (2) The system is not autofinanced and public support stays important.

Budget

126 247€ / year (Euro)

Financial backer

2004 : Conseil Général Hautes-Alpes : 55411€, Cluster of the Briançonnais : 27705 €, Névache community : 12231 €, passangers : 30 698 €. PACA Region and ADEME : 30 900€ (only for 2004)

Source of information

Ansprechperson

Mr Stéphane Barelle
Communauté de communes du Briançonnais
64 Grande Rue , 05100 Briancon , France
s.barelle@ccbrianconnais.fr
04 92 21 35 97
04 92 20 38 90

Competition

Participant at the 2005 Future in the Alps competition

Homepage

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/depart.htes-alpes/savoirsi-nevache/equatre.html

Publication

(1) "Savoir Si" n°73, regular publication of Névache (2) Magazine of Mountain Wilderness France n°58 (3) Articles in the Dauphiné Libéré (4) www.espaces-naturels.fr (5) www.grandsitedefrance.com

Comments

Impact on nature and environment

Reducing the traffic in the high valley and inviting the visitors to park their cars in the parking as far down valley as possible has contributed to preserve the natural spaces. Wild parking on the alpine prairies has been limited as well as air and accoustic pollutions induced by intense car traffic on a narrow and dangerous road. Calm has returned to the high valley. This improvement can not yet be quantified.

Economic value added

The main costs to make the system run are due to the salaries (6 employees during the season) and to the services produced by the local transport companies, for whom this is an ideal complementary product to their usual activities as school buses. In this the activity contributes to the local economical activites.

Socio-cultural value added

Promoting public transport can be considered as a contribution to the evolution of our society towards the limitation of systematical use of individual cars. It also invites people to take common interest into consideration in our holiday behaviour. This contributes to the valorisation and protection of remarkable sites, which are a common heritage. This is all the more true since the Clarée valley is a "National Great Site".

Innovative content

This operation is innovative in the Département Hautes-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Region. The valley benefits of the highest frequence of public transport services during the summer. It was a revolution in the approach the visitors and residents had of this touristical valley.

Good governance

Several technical and political meetings with all concerned communities and actors are held to prepare each season. The Département, as project executive, coordinates all the actions, but has not substitued itself to the community of Névache which actively participates in different ways : it is the community which employs people to manage the system during the summer period. Each year, public meetings with all the actors (politicians, administrations, transport companies, residents, tourism offices, logers and commerces...) are organised in the fall to evaluate the season. These meetings are also the opportunity to debate on the perspectives and propositions to improve the system for the next season. The results of these meetings are announced in the newspapers and on the radio.

PR impact

The public meetings as well as numerous articles, radio and television announcements have allowed a quite large communication on the system. In the valley itself people are well informed thanks to brochures and explanations. This PR work has made it easier for everybody to accept and appreciate the system.

Multiplier effect / networking

This summer 2005, a workshop was organised by the Technical Agency for Protected Areas (Atelier Technique des Espaces naturels) of the French Envrionment Ministry in Névache. People from all horizons (about 15 French départements were represented) came and were interested by the project, the way it is organised and functions. The Network of "National Great Sites" is also interested by the experience.

Transferability

The concertation with all partners was exemplary. The method was concentrated on the capacity to listen, but also to make decisions in order to allow the project to progress. The local administrations and politicians carried out the preservation and organisation of the valley in a progressive coordinated way (also in relationship with the "National Great Site" operation. The transferability of this system as a whole is also possible, if adapted to local obstacles.