Since July 15, parking is more expensive in the Arceaux district of Montpellier. The streets that were in the green zone have moved to the orange zone and those that were in orange have moved to yellow. A measure put in place by the city of Montpellier in consultation with residents and traders to increase car turnover. Residents who have resident subscriptions at 15 euros per month find space more easily and so do shop customers.
From 4 euros per day we went to 33 euros in certain streets
Except that not everyone is there. In particular people who work in the neighborhood and who cannot benefit from a resident subscription. In the green zone, staying less than 7 hours, parking cost them 4 euros a day, today in the orange zone, they have to pay 33 euros.
My employees will resign, they will have no problem finding work elsewhere
Patrick Puel is the boss of Arceaux Boucherie rue Mariage. By discovering this price change 10 days ago, his employees clearly told their boss that they were going to look for work elsewhere, which is not missing. “Half of my employees who live in town come by public transport or by scooter, but the other four live outside, Saint-André de Saint-Denis, Saint-Gély and the morning team arrives at work at 5 h. So you can imagine that coming at 5 am by public transport is a bit complicated. My employees told me they were going to quit. They will have no problem finding work elsewhere, a place where they will not have to pay for parking.”
Not everyone can find accommodation in Montpellier and come by public transport
Patrick Puel says he is ready to make efforts for ecology, but at any price. “We are not at all opposed to the transition to a less polluted world, obviously, but we are all in the same boat. But not like that, not so quickly, it’s very complicated. We really suffer, we have the impression of being bludgeoned. Our elites, our leaders make decisions and it always falls in the end on the company or the employee who must pay. I don’t mind being made to feel guilty, but there are limits all the same. Not everyone can find accommodation in the city and come by public transport”.
Patrick Puel is also seriously considering moving, with his partner he is also looking for new premises to settle on the outskirts with free parking for customers and employees. “I’m a downtown fanatic. Michael Delafosse knows this since he came to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our company a few weeks ago. I’m a fan of rue Marioge, but we are very actively thinking about leaving the neighborhood. We will lose our customers. We will lose part of our DNA, but we are going to go and settle down like everyone else outside, in a large car park where our customers can park, our deliveries can take place quite peacefully and we can have land, a large laboratory, a large store and it’s life changing for my business. It breaks my heart a little. But when you are a business leader, there are choices to be made and this choice with my partner, we are going to make it. I am a man of tradition, we pass on our businesses. My parents passed it down to me. I’m very emotive by that because I am really for a local service and you see in a commercial area, we do not render proximity. We are approaching the model of mass distribution which goes against all my values. So you see, I do this very reluctantly. I’m doing it to save the company. For those who will succeed me, me, in a while, I am retired, but I didn’t expect to end like this.”
On the side of the town hall, we explain that with 4,000 more new inhabitants per year in the city of Montpellier, these measures must be put in place. She recalls that there are car parks with subscriptions which are cheaper than parking meters and that employers can cover part of the parking costs of their employees and have them covered.
A special subscription for employees and all people who work in the city center from autumn
But above all the town hall promises from the fall a special subscription card for employees who work in the city center. The amount has not yet been decided but it should be between 80 and 180 euros per month.
Other districts of Montpellier will soon be affected by changes in parking prices: Carnot Strasbourg, le Millénaire, la Pompignane, this will be voted on Thursday by the municipal council.
In Malbosc, on the other hand, the price should decrease. Finally in Port Marianne, it is the paid parking area which has been widened taking into account the new constructions since July 15th.
– TAM