The Regional Federation of Public Works (FRTP) arranged to meet four municipal candidates in Montpellier, this Tuesday, January 20, to talk about mobility, water management and adaptation to climate change.
This is the first exercise of its kind in this campaign, for the contenders for mayor of Montpellier. On the occasion of its wishes, the Regional Federation of Public Works (FRTP) of Occitanie invited, this Tuesday, January 20, the candidates for the municipal elections to express themselves on the themes of mobility, water management and flood risk, and on the adaptation of the city to global warming. Four of them
– Michaël Delafosse, Nathalie Oziol, Isabelle Perrein and Jean-Louis Roumégas – responded to the invitation.
1. Mobility: trams, trains… and cars! There was consensus among the candidates on the need to offer the inhabitants of Montpellier and the Metropolis an alternative to the car. Consensus also, on the desire to extend the existing tram lines. But for the rest, everyone had their own project. Faithful to the national line of La France Insoumise, Nathalie Oziol took responsibility for her opposition to public works professionals.“to large ecocide and oversized construction sites” ,
mainly targeting the Montpellier Western Bypass (COM) and the Montpellier-Perpignan High Speed Line (LGV). A point of divergence with the outgoing mayor, Michaël Delafosse, convinced that this LGV will also allow the establishment of a “coastal RER” between Nîmes, Montpellier and Sète. On the rail side, notary Isabelle Perrein has an alternative project: “recover former Réseau Ferré de France rights of way to create routes dedicated to buses, with relay parking lots on the sites of disused stations in small towns.”
As for Jean-Louis Roumégas, the environmentalist candidate announced that he wanted to create a new, more modern bus station. On the main roads and true to form, Isabelle Perrein made herself “defender of those who also have to use their car.” The candidate questions the reopening of avenues de la Liberté and Albert Dubout, coupled with the construction of parking lots“maximum two tram stops from the city center”
. It is also planning the creation of an additional access ramp on the A709, in the Cambacerès district, to streamline traffic on the Zénith roundabout. Idea also taken up by Jean-Louis Roumégas, a few minutes later.
2. Water management: hunting for leaks and overflows
13% of the water injected into the city network escapes through leaks. If the outgoing mayor recalled that the figure stood at 24% five years ago, the latter recognizes that efforts must be continued. When her opponent Nathalie Oziol credits this improvement to the public water management system driven by… Renée Revol, the LFI mayor of Grabels. On flood risk management, Michaël Delafosse promised to devote 54 million euros to future works, in particular to limit the flooding of the Verdanson and protect the La Mosson stadium from water. If its opponents share the need to act, they will wait
“to be responsible for announcing budgets”.
3. Global warming: adapting the city
How to adapt Montpellier to the challenge of global warming? Dewatering of soils, greening of public spaces and renovation of public buildings were, logically, put on the table by the candidates. In detail, Jean-Louis Roumégas announces a vast project aimed at renovating 100% of social housing by 2035. Isabelle Perrein is banking on the installation of shade houses and misters in public spaces, and the transformation of the banks of the Lez into an immense island of freshness. For Nathalie Oziol,
“the renovation of neighborhoods must also involve consultation and involvement of residents. We must carry out small-scale experiments.” Attentive to the proposals, the 150 professionals present in the room above all sent a message, through their Hérault president Olivier Giorgiucci.
