The line of cars, whether on the road or on the edge, is impressive. “That day was July 9, we must have had, I don’t know, 200 or 300 cars“. Françoise scrolls through the photos she took that day on her mobile. This resident of the hamlet of Aouach, in Fauga, often finds herself overwhelmed on weekends with visitors who come to enjoy the pebble beach on the edge of of the Garonne.An idyllic place, yet prohibited for swimming and barbecues.This does not prevent some from taking a dip and grilling a sausage.
Families in search of freshness
As soon as the temperatures rise, the beach fills up. It must be said that the setting, on the edge of the Garonne, is very pleasant. But swimming is prohibited there, because it is dangerous. A teenager drowned last year in the area. A sign clearly displays this prohibition at the entrance to the site, but the gendarmes a few weeks ago already denounced non-compliance with this instruction.
On the spot, some people are indeed dipping in the recesses of the river, really at the edge of the water. “It is very very hot in the city, and it is difficult to find places where there is shade, nature…” “There is Toulouse-plage but it’s not the same!“explains these two Toulouse women, sitting on the beach. In the water; some parents accompany their children. “We hesitated between the pool and the river (…) I didn’t know it was forbidden, but there are so many forbidden places…“explains this father, who remains vigilant: he really bathes at the edge of the water, has built a small dam to slow down the current, and closely monitors the variations in height of the Garonne thanks to a marker.
– Manon Klein
The ban on barbecues is also not fully respected. Evidenced by the hearths that can be seen regularly on the banks of the Garonne at this location. Obviously, in these periods of drought it is dangerous to light a fire in this place surrounded by vegetation. “You have to preserve nature, and avoid having barbecues (…) but I admit all the same that I have already had a barbecue here.” recognizes Gabrielle, who loves this place for its tranquility.
Finally, parking on the side of the road is also sometimes a problem. This Saturday, they are relatively few, and well parked. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes it is even difficult to move.
Residents who experience nuisance
The 30 inhabitants of the hamlet of Aouach sometimes suffer from nuisances; consequence of this high attendance. Those who for some had come to seek calm by settling here find themselves exposed to the angry outbursts from some motoristsstuck either by cars parked on the side of the road, or by the vehicle coming in the other direction (it is indeed difficult to drive with two cars in places on this road).
The local residents have nothing against sharing the beach below, on the contrary, but they regret a lack of civility on the part of some. “There is a part of the population that leaves bottles, waste, polystyrene (…) They cut trees to make fire“regrets Fabienne, who also evokes cars that drive fast, drivers who get annoyed when they are stuck by each other.What we accept the most is that: these incivilities, these verbal attacks, people who talk about everything, who honk their horns. Here we no longer live (…) during the weekend we are no longer quiet, we are no longer serene“confirms Françoise.
Fabienne regrets the lack of action by the public authorities: “The authorities have not, I think, taken the measure, or consider that as there are only 30 people in the hamlet… we are not going to do everything for 30 people“. The Departmental Council would consider putting studs in the lower part of the hamlet, towards the beach, to prevent “wild” parking on the sides of the road. Several residents fear that this will only move the problem higher. “We the inhabitants had asked that a barrier be put in place upstream, with a parking lot to allow people to park on the top. It was refused to us (…) They told us that we did not have to limit access here“says Françoise.