Tram, lights out and work: Walking in Montpellier
19 hours, a small street between the Comedy and the station. Two young men jostle slightly a lady in her sixties who find their way by feeling. It insults the two men do not care about her. Then, she whispers with an angry tone: "They all believe they can make. And worse, they're right ..." "They" in this case, it is not the two young men, but the mayor of Montpellier. The lady is not alone in having trouble ahead: it is absolutely black in the street. From time to time, the headlights of a car glide stealthily along the sidewalk. A few seconds later, he was again plunged into darkness.
"It has now lasted over a week - there is more light in the street. Or sometimes the light comes back for an hour or two later, nothing," said a lady a little more younger than the first. "If, again, the pavement is in fair condition. But no, he is full of holes. My neighbor dare leave home from 17 hours. She's afraid of breaking a leg or an arm .. . She is right, it's very dangerous. "
Why some streets of Montpellier they are - completely or for a few hours - deprived of light? Nobody seems to know. "I do not know," also said a man in his thirties. "I guess it's related to the work of the tram. But I do not really understand why it's only a couple streets and not others."
The team People Montpellier wanted to know more. So she called the press service of the city of Montpellier - who also was unaware. However, they promised to make inquiries and request to "assistant manager" to remind the journal online ... This recall was never held. The reason for the darkness in the streets of Montpellier remains - dark. However, being a pedestrian in Montpellier not only poses problems at night. During the day, life "on foot" is often as dangerous.
10 hours at the corner of Boulevard Victor Hugo and Rue de la République. Pedestrians arriving from the station, the Rue de la Republique. They want to cross the Boulevard Victor Hugo to enter in the courtyard of the Babote. "Before," said a lady, "there was a fire here." That fire still exists - but since the tram works started, it stopped working. Pedestrians
so patiently observe traffic coming up the side of Alexander Laissac. After a while, the cars stop. Pedestrians to cross the street, but already, other cars arrive: this time, what are those side Boulevard du Jeu de Paume. Some cross current, exposing themselves to danger ... Fortunately, drivers slow down. A gentleman raised his hand, braving the traffic.
A lady with a stroller is desperate: "If I was alone, it would pose less of a problem. But with him," she pats her baby's eyes, "I can not take the risk. This street is now too dangerous. But what I can do? I must cross. " An older lady gets involved in the conversation. "If you want to cross safely, you must climb up the comedy, almost." A gentleman in his forties also gives his commentary: "The excuse used to work at all. I really do not see any reason to deprive us of the red light here. This is really too dangerous crossroads. Or, if you can not activate the fire, because the work could place a cop. "The lady with the stroller broke into a bitter laugh." Cops? They are too busy to put PV are poorly parked cars. Assist pedestrians is not their job. "- Finally, Mr. located in the middle of the street and cars stop to allow women to gain safe entry of Babote. Fortunately, there Mutual Montpellier
... ... But the work - the Montpellier are really happy to get the tram line 3? "Yes," sighed a lady in her thirties, "I am glad we will have a third line. But by then, Life will not be easy. In 'normal', there is barely a car in town - and now they have deleted a lot of these car parks, which previously were not already enough. One is then obliged to take the tram or bus. But the buses have become a curse. It is said that the delay was due to permanent work - I think the Tam mocks us. There are buses that come from parts of the city that are not affected by the work - so their delay has nothing to do necessarily with line 3 ... Tam tells us anything. "
Another lady of about the same age complains about the conditions for pedestrians in the streets around the station. "We do spend more," she says. "The pavement is full of people waiting buses, and they do not move to let the others. We must therefore walk in the streets. But it's very dangerous because buses that circulate everywhere now. Among the works People waiting buses and buses themselves - there are simply more room for pedestrians. A real trap. "
Montpellier, the city with the largest pedestrian square of France, has it become a "trap" for those who go on foot? A gentleman in his fifties laughs. "Pedestrian in Montpellier? You should not be in love. The pavements are too narrow to pass to two. "
" Maybe not a trap, "replied another of Mr approximately the same age," but being a pedestrian in Montpellier is easier. Sometimes I think that with all the worries about the new tram, officials have simply forgotten that we, the pedestrians, there exists ... "
Photos and text are copyright Doris Kneller
Copyright: Doris Kneller, 2009 
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