The official transit site for traveling people in Rennaz, Vaud, remains under renovation until 2029, leaving no legal accommodation for up to 250 travelers during the peak season. Meanwhile, a standoff has emerged in Lausanne, where a group of caravans refuses to leave an unauthorized parking lot despite repeated official requests.
Rennaz Transit Site Under Renovation, No Legal Accommodation for Travelers
The canton of Vaud’s sole official transit site for traveling people in Rennaz, located in the district of Morges, is currently undergoing a major renovation that will last until 2029. The site, which can accommodate up to 250 travelers, currently functions only as a parking lot without basic facilities such as toilets, running water, or waste disposal. The renovation, approved by the Vaud Grand Council in November 2023 with a budget of 21 million Swiss francs, aims to bring the site up to standard, including the installation of toilets, water connections, and waste management infrastructure. However, the first phase of the renovation, expected to begin in early 2024, will not provide essential amenities until 2025 at the earliest.
During the renovation, travelers will continue to use the site from March to October, but without proper sanitary facilities or infrastructure. The canton has emphasized that the site must remain operational for emergency road services, such as salting roads in winter. The lack of legal accommodation options has already led to tensions in the region, with neighboring communities expressing concerns about the environmental and social impact of large, unauthorized gatherings.
Standoff in Lausanne: Travelers Refuse to Leave Unauthorized Parking Lot
In Lausanne, a group of traveling people has refused to leave an unauthorized parking lot despite repeated requests from local authorities. As of March 2024, negotiations between the canton of Vaud and the travelers had reached a deadlock. The canton proposed relocating the group to a fully equipped site in Yverdon, but the travelers rejected the offer, citing unspecified reasons. According to Laurent Curchod, the canton’s new delegate for relations with traveling people, the discussions were at a standstill by mid-March, with no immediate solution in sight.
The situation follows a pattern seen in previous years, when unauthorized camps have sprung up in Lausanne, particularly at the parking lot of La Bourdonnette. In 2023, around 120 caravans occupied the site for several months, leading to complaints from residents and environmental concerns. This year, two convoys of caravans attempted to enter Lausanne in early March, but were blocked by police and redirected to other locations, including a temporary site in Montheron. The canton has indicated that it will continue to seek temporary solutions while working with municipalities to find long-term accommodations that avoid large, unauthorized gatherings.
Canton Seeks Temporary and Long-Term Solutions
To address the recurring issue of unauthorized camps, the canton of Vaud has appointed Laurent Curchod as a mediator and coordinator for relations with traveling people. One of his key tasks is to identify temporary parcels of land in collaboration with local municipalities to accommodate smaller groups of travelers, ideally no more than 20 caravans at a time. The goal is to prevent the formation of large, unregulated camps that often lead to conflicts with residents and environmental damage.
Curchod has acknowledged that finding suitable sites will take time, but he remains confident that solutions can be found. The canton has also emphasized the need to raise awareness among municipalities about the challenges faced by traveling people and the importance of providing legal and safe accommodations. Meanwhile, the renovation of the Rennaz site remains a critical long-term project, though its completion is still years away.
What Comes Next?
The situation in Lausanne remains fluid, with authorities continuing to negotiate with the traveling people currently occupying the unauthorized site. The canton’s efforts to find temporary solutions and the ongoing renovation of the Rennaz transit site are both critical steps toward addressing the broader issue of accommodation for traveling people in Vaud. However, the lack of immediate legal alternatives and the slow pace of infrastructure projects continue to create tensions and uncertainty for both travelers and local communities.
As the canton works to finalize agreements with municipalities and complete the Rennaz renovation, the focus remains on avoiding further standoffs and ensuring that all travelers have access to safe and legal accommodations during their stays in Vaud.
