Transport in Toulouse

The Transports in Toulouse are done mainly by Automobile. Displacements in car are majority and the other means of transport are disqualified. The construction of many car parks in downtown area in the decade 1980-1990 reinforced this tendency, but the construction of underground lines starts an opposite movement. In the field of circulation cyclist, the cycle tracks are developed rather little.

General situation

The Agglomeration particularly wide and being parcelled out between zones of habitat, retail parks and poles of quite distinct employment, the average ways are long. In addition, the users are often constrained to compose with a network of Public transport still insufficient, fascinating charges some in 2004 only 7% with the ways with the agglomeration, and a network of secondary roadway systems too little developed. Because of a lack of reflection united on the whole of the territory of the agglomeration which mined the installation of public transport and did not allow the construction of a compact agglomeration, the car reigns like the principal mode of displacements in the agglomeration: 64% of displacements to be compared with the 50% Lyonese.

Displacements are difficult in the agglomeration, the peripheral being often encumbered at the rush hours (to 140.000 cars per day on certain sections according to DRE, that is to say the threshold of saturation of a 2*3 ways). However the construction of new lines of public transport starts an opposite movement since the opening of the second line of Métro at the end of June 2007, supplemented in 2010 by a line of Tramway which will connect Toulouse (station subway of the Arenas) to the commune of Beauzelle via Blagnac.

Currently a highway vast project concerning the whole of the agglomeration is being studied. It would be about a highway skirting whose layout would support a transit by the east of the agglomeration. The public debate, envisaged with the autumn 2007, will continue the reflection on the project appropriateness such, its distance in Toulouse (which divides the local policies) and on its definite location (either by the east, is and the south and the west and the south).

Roads and highways

Toulouse is the crossroads of several axes of communications highway and road. The Périphérique of Toulouse makes it possible to make the full rotation of the city. It is starting from this by-pass that all the highway network is organized:

in the North-West Bordeaux by taking the A62
in north Paris by the A20, connected to A62 on the level of Montauban
in the North-East Albi, by the A68. Its prolongation in 2x2 ways until Lyon is envisaged without no date being to date stopped
in the east Narbonne with the A61, then all the Mediterranean coast (of Perpignan with Menton) thanks to the connection of A61 with the A9
to south-east, Ariège (Pamiers and Foix) and Andorra by the A66. Its prolongation to the Spanish border, to connect Barcelona, is envisaged, but no date is programmed
in the western south, Tarbes, Pau the Basque coast and the west of Spain, via the A64

Chemin de iron

The city constitutes a rail junction, with the intersection of the national broad outlines serving Bayonne at south-west, Bordeaux in the North-West, Paris in north and the Mediterranean coast in south-east, and of lines of less capacity like that driving towards Auch in the west or Castres and Mazamet in the east.

The principal passanger station is Toulouse-Matabiau. TGV stop there, ensuring the junction at fallback speed between Bordeaux and Narbonne. The line is indeed not with the Gabarit allowing circulation at high speed. The city includes/understands other halts, like Toulouse-Saint-Agne, Saint-Cyprien-Arenas, TOEC, Toulouse-Lardenne and Saint-Martin-of-Touch. These four last are used besides as stations of the line C of the network of public transport of the agglomeration. The Matabiau station, the Saint-Cyprien-Arena halt and that of St Agne are in addition in direct connection with the Métro of Toulouse.

Lastly, goods a station, the Raynal station, supplements the railway network, downtown full. This station also corresponds to the principal logistic center of the SERNAM (subsidiary of the SNCF) in the department.

In 2016, the realization of the project of the line at high speed SEA (Southern Atlantic Europe) will make it possible to rejoin Toulouse in Paris in 4:15. Then in the second time, the construction of the Bordeaux bar - Toulouse which will follow will have to make it possible to put Toulouse at 3:00 of the capital.

Air transports

The car

The territory of the commune being particularly wide, the average ways are long, it is not rare to make 20 to 50 kilometers (to go without return) to go to work. This length of displacement, combined with a policy of road and highway equipment overall, contributed to make displacements in car majority and to disqualify the other means of transport.

In addition, the problems of displacements are amplified by the extension of the agglomeration in a suburban model which conditions the use of the car in spaces where the low economic profitability caused by very the weak density of population inhibits any development of public transport.

Many actors thus plan to create a great highway skirting to allow the through traffic (traffic external to Toulouse) to escape Toulouse stoppers which are caused to 73% by the local traffic of Toulouse themselves, like showed it the study on the great highway skirting of Toulouse, presented by DRE the Midday-Pyrenees in 2006.

Toulouse is in particular equipped with a peripheral and a by-pass.

Taxi

Like a certain number of places in France, the taxi is almost non-existent because of sound strong cost. The tariffing of province is indeed from 20 to 30% higher compared to that of Paris. One counts approximately 300 taxis in Toulouse. (Paris counts some more than 15.000)

Urban cycling

Urban developments

In 2006,210 kilometers of cycle routes are available to Toulouse, mainly in the form of tracks in exclusive right of way divided with the pedestrians, and of cycle tracks traced on the edge of the carriageway.

In spite of the continuous increase of the mileage of the Toulouse cycle tracks, the total quality of cycle installations is regarded as insufficient. Are pointed finger the lack of continuity of the cycle tracks between them, and the too weak park of arches of parkings.

The situation improves, the year 2007 saw the resorption of a great discontinuity of the track of the Channel of the South in center town, the opening of cycle misinterpretations in the streets " semi piétonnisées" center town.

Hiring

Partnerships between the town hall of Toulouse and Tisséo-SMTC (financor of the lasted average hiring), association Movimento (owner), and the District council (financor of the hirings long life) made possible the hiring of bicycles for the private individuals. The park is composed of 1000 bicycles, available in these three bicycle stations which are not bicycle automated stations.

in Capitole (place of the De Gaulle general) for the hirings of lasted average (at the day)
at the coach station of Toulouse Matabiau, for the hirings of lasted average (at the day)
with the Port Saint-Saver for the hirings of long life (in the month), like for repairs.

The cost of the lasted average hiring is of 2 € the day, or 1 € the half-day, and 1€ per night. For the hirings long life the price goes from 10 to 18€ per month.

It should be noted that since the summer 2006, the bicycle station of the coach station is managed by Vinci following an invitation to tender.

Bicycle-Toulouse

This system of automatic hiring is in service since November 16th, 2007. To start, the first 60 stations were in place. A decision of the municipal council of July 6th, 2007 entrusted to company JC Decaux the installation and the exploitation of a park of terminals, bornettes and bicycles in automatic hiring (Velopartage) on the center town of Toulouse. It is about the system Cyclocity, i.e. that the principle is similar to that applied to the Velo' v Lyons or the Parisian Velib': stations of hirings are distributed with a very tight grid, and the hiring is free only for one short duration. This in order to maximize the rotation of the bicycles and not to transform the hiring short duration into hiring at the day. The objective of this system is to facilitate circulation downtown for the walkers and the users of public transport, as it was shown after the installation of Velo' v in Lyon

At the end of the first phase of installation, in January 2008, the network will be composed of 135 stations and 1500 bicycles. The device will extend then until in periphery from the city. In April 2008, 253 stations will be available. Their site is still being studied.

Tariffing applied is the following one: for the subscribers, exemption from payment for the first half hour, 50 centimes up to one hour, then 1€ per hour additional. For not subscribed: 1€ of right of access, exemption from payment for the first half hour, 0,50€ up to one hour, 1,50€ up to two hours, then 2€ per hour additional.

The subscription is of 5€ for one week, 10€ for one month and 25€ for one year. The guarantee is of 150€.

Here thus an example of tariffs of hiring for the subscribers (except subscription):

And for not subscribed (except right of access):

Public transport

Public transport of the Toulouse agglomeration is organized by a trade union gathering several local government agencies: Tisséo-SMTC. It gathers the community of Agglomeration of Large Toulouse, Sicoval, and other common glazes by the Tisséo network and gathered in the SITPRT (Intercommunity association of Public Transport of the Toulouse Agglomeration).

The network is articulated mainly around the VALLEY around whose the drunk organizes. Transport with the request, the train and the mobibus (transport for handicapped) supplement the offer.

the Toulouse subway has two lines under operation (lines has and B). The line has connects the retail park and industrial of Basso-Cambo to the retail park of Balma-Gramont (in edge of the commune of Balma) in diametrical a south-west - the North-East. The line B connects the district of dwelling of Borderouge to the north of the commune of Ramonville-Saint-Agne in diametrical North-South.
the network of bus covers the communes of agglomeration closest to Toulouse until 22:00. A very reduced service of evening takes over 22:00 to 1:00, only on the territories of Toulouse and Blagnac.
Transport with request (TAD) is a service of minibus with reservation, adapted to the service road of the rural areas and not very dense. Its most worked out version, the TAD 106 (service of 5:30 to 1:00, frequency of a half hour) serves Is suburbs (Balma, Drémil-Lafage, Flourens, Mons, Pine-Balma, Quint-Fonsegrives). Other lines of transport to the request exist elsewhere in the agglomeration but with a level of quite lower service.
a line of train, the line C, proposes a service given rhythm between the district of the Arenas in Toulouse and the commune of Colomiers. This line is usable with a transport document Tisséo.
Mobibus is a service of transport to the request for the people with reduced mobility.

References

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