Mobility: global strategy

Public transport and roads play a central role in the daily lives of the inhabitants of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. The objective is therefore clear: to reduce car traffic and through-traffic in the heart of the city by diversifying the public transport offer.
Temps de lecture : 4 minutes

The Mobility Strategy: a global response to ecological and solidarity issues

This strategy expands the range of modes of transport, boosts purchasing power, combats climate change and protects the health of local residents. This comprehensive plan for decarbonized mobility includes a series of actions:

2 alerts: the climate emergency and pollution

Several situations dictate a powerful response on mobility:

  • the climate emergency with the resulting national strategy towards carbon neutrality in 2050;
  • 6,000 more vehicle registrations per year; 140,000 vehicles entering and leaving Montpellier daily;
  • air pollution and its effects on health.

4 objectives to improve daily life

The "Mobility Strategy" comprises 2 axes: a peaceful, breathable living environment and alternatives to "autosolism" (the driver alone in his car).

For this, 4 objectives:

  • decarbonize mobility to combat climate change and preserve the health of inhabitants;
  • offer all inhabitants of the metropolis an alternative way of getting around;
  • enjoy towns and villages to improve quality of life;
  • make the transition of mobilities a transition of solidarity that does not exclude and strengthens purchasing power.

Free travel, a lever for mobility deployment

Free public transport is a real revolution in response to the ecological and social emergency. The Metropole of Montpellier has gradually implemented this project:

  • September 5, 2020: free travel at weekends, for all residents of the metropole;
  • September 1, 2021: free travel every day, for residents of the metropole under 18 and over 65;
  • December 21, 2023: free travel every day, for the 500,000 residents of the 31 communes of the metropole.

An ambitious action plan for easier travel

Focused on free public transport, the action plan covers all forms of mobility:

  • free public transport,
  • a structured network:
    • tramway : construction of line 5 and extension of line 1 to Montpellier Sud de France station;
    • bustrams : new network of 5 high service level lines, serving ten communes;
    • bikes : creation of the "Vélolignes", a 235 km Bicycle Express Network; subsidies for the purchase of Electric-Assisted Bikes and for repairs;
  • walking : facilities and measures for pedestrians, in the heart of the metropolis and in neighborhoods;
  • people with reduced mobility : facilities and services to improve accessibility;
  • cars: bypasses to reduce through-traffic in city centers; priority to traffic calming in neighborhoods.

1 billion euros: that's the total amount invested in low-carbon mobility during the 2020-2026 mandate.

"The city of the quarter-hour

Another objective of the strategy is "the quarter-hour city". In the communes, as in Montpellier's neighborhoods, developments and regulated traffic will give more space to pedestrians and bicycles, and promote health. Essential services, stores, schools, parks and other frequently frequented places will thus be just fifteen minutes away, on foot or by bike.

These short pedestrian or cycling routes are practical for users and beneficial for shopkeepers.

Air quality: improvement but still room for improvement

Air quality is decisive for health. Or, road traffic is one of the causes of air pollution. It is responsible for:

  • 78% of nitrogen dioxide emissions;
  • 30% of fine particulate emissions.

The annual average of nitrogen dioxide concentrations demonstrates that chronic pollution is rife in the metropolis, particularly near major traffic routes.

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of people chronically exposed to the nitrogen dioxide threshold limit has almost halved: between 700 and 2,250 exposed in 2021; between 350 and 1,300 in 2022. (Source: ATMO Occitanie study)

During this period, the Metropole's actions in favor of cycling and public transport began to produce their positive effects:

  • Between 2021 and 2022, bicycle traffic in the Metropole (24 counting stations) increased by 14%;
  • Between 2019 and 2022, road traffic fell by 5% in the Metropole as a whole and by 11% in Montpellier.

Changes in the behavior of metropolitan residents in their travel mode choices are therefore helping to improve air quality.