Villeneuve-sur-Lot: the Cieutat bridge gives pride of place to pedestrians

The one-way system with alternating traffic lights, which has been in effect since the beginning of July, should be in place over time.

"We always wonder if it'll pass. That's the only surprising thing. As for the rest, nothing to complain about." Colette, driving her Clio, carefully slips between the two flowerpots that mark the width of the new single lane of the Cieutat bridge. There's plenty of room.

While the installation serves as a speed bump, that is not its primary purpose. Its primary aim is to ensure compliance with the ban on the movement of trucks weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, which has been in place for years and is not always respected.

It had been taken over by the previous municipality due to the structure's advanced age. Since then, its condition has not improved. "It's as old as its arteries," summarizes Mayor Gérard Régnier. The latest check-up revealed nothing more than was already known : "The sidewalks and overhangs were built at the beginning of the last century and they are in worse condition than the bridge itself," describes the mayor. "Also, the guardrails are too low, in terms of regulations. But the Architect of Buildings of France does not want them raised..."

To "reassure everyone" and "rationalize resources," two traffic lights were installed on either side and regulate the flow of vehicles, now one-way on a single central lane of 2.20 m, by alternating direction. The space freed up on the road by going from two to a single lane is not wasted. It is available to pedestrians, strollers, and people with reduced mobility, who are more comfortable than on the narrow and fragile sidewalks, under which nets were stretched several years ago to collect the scree that fell into the Lot.

"If the traffic plan were to evolve, that could change, but in principle, this experiment is planned to last," says Gérard Régnier, who points out that unlike other towns in the department, the management of the three urban bridges is entirely municipal in Villeneuve.