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Day: 14 February 2024

Monaco addresses its transport issues: New direct bus from Fontvieille to Larvotto to be trialled

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/02/2024

With the release of the Monaco Government’s Plan Mobilité, which features a series of possible solutions to the Principality’s long-standing traffic issues, it has been announced that the Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco (CAM) will soon begin testing a new direct bus route from Fontvieille in the west to Larvotto in the east. 

6.6 million passengers boarded CAM buses in 2023, a figure on par with pre-pandemic levels but less than the numbers recorded a decade ago.  

“We need to work on modal shift, from the car to public transport or soft mobility,” Monaco’s Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, Céline Caron-Dagioni, said, adding that people “need not always use their car to get from A to B.” 

Her viewpoint on the situation is that if there are better connections and more convenient public transport options available, the general reliance of the population on cars and other light vehicles will decrease.  

See more: Monaco addresses its transport issues: More than 5,000 new Park and Ride carparking spaces in the works

The proposed Fontvieille-Larvotto line is one such way that the government is seeking to improve the existing network.  

“The bus can travel quickly, then suddenly get stuck in a traffic jam,” says Caron-Dagioni. “If it takes an hour to cross the Principality, that’s disappointing. [So] we’re going to test direct lines, the first linking Fontvieille to Larvotto along the seafront, with very few stops along the way.” 

The journey is expected to take just 15 minutes and will run on weekdays between 7am and 7pm. It will be called the Ligne 6D and start at the Stade Louis II before taking a coastal route via Avenue Kennedy to Larvotto and heading back along the Rue Grimaldi on the return trip. 

A start date for the trial line is yet to be announced.  

CAM will also introduce a dozen new Mercedes-built electric buses to the network in the coming weeks to expand its already considerable electric-powered fleet and add to the Principality’s arsenal of more ecologically sound travel alternatives. 

 

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Photo source: CAM, Facebook

Monaco addresses its transport issues: A green pedestrian corridor from north to south 

by: Elsa Carpenter
14/02/2024

As Monaco looks for ways to alleviate its traffic issues and cut down the number of vehicles on its roads, one solution could be as simple as improving pedestrian access in and around the Principality.

Following the unveiling of the Monaco Government’s Plan Mobilité, which has presented concepts such as increased Park and Ride facilities and a shake-up of the existing bus network as methods of easing traffic issues, a vision for a green corridor between the Jardin Exotique district in the northwest of the Principality and the bustling Condamine neighbourhood near Port Hercule has come to light.

“The Government has a vision for the landscape [of Monaco], biodiversity and quality of life,” say the authors of the report. “This involves preparing the Monaco of tomorrow for a better quality of life by promoting gentle mobility between neighborhoods thanks to pedestrian connections considered in advance within the framework of town planning ordinances.” 

Essentially, the idea is to improve on-foot connections between the main zones of activity in Monaco – the Palais Princier de Monaco, the business hub in Fontvieille, Place d’Armes, the Jardin Exotique, Monte-Carlo and the restaurant and hotel-rich Larvotto district, for example – by better considering the needs of pedestrians when planning out new projects and developments. 

But this also extends to the Monaco here and now, and the government has begun the planning stages of “reconnecting” the Jardin Exotique, a largely residential area, and the vibrant commercial quartier of the Condamine.  

The proposed route from the Jardin Exotique to the Condamine will necessitate the construction of several footbridges to allow pedestrians to safely and conveniently traverse major roads. Photo source: Monaco Government

As explained in the report, “The creation of landscaped pedestrian continuity and ecological connectivity between Boulevard de Belgique and Promenade Honoré II will notably make it possible to reconnect the entire neighborhoods.” 

The future route will benefit from generous planting to provide shade and respite from the heat for walkers, while public spaces offering “spectacular views of the Rock of Monaco” will be dotted along the walkway.

The Jardin Exotique-Condamine green corridor is the only pedestrian project detailed in the report, but there are hints that a network of dedicated pathways and cycle routes could one day sync up the Principality from north to south and from east to west.  

Read related:

Monaco addresses its transport issues: More than 5,000 new Park and Ride carparking spaces in the works

 

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Photo source: Kit Suman, Unsplash

Gut health under the microscope: Monaco conference to shed light on microbiome research

by: Niki Borisova
14/02/2024

The vital role of the gut microbiome in overall health and the prevention – or proliferation – of disease is to take centre stage at a conference at the Centre Scientifique de Monaco this week, which will see a leading expert in the field of  gastroenterology, Professor Philippe Marteau, present his latest discoveries and groundbreaking insights on the topic. 

Recent decades have transformed our perspective on the microorganisms that live in our gut. The term ‘intestinal microbiome’ – or more familiarly ‘gut microbiome’ – captures a complex ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi that plays an essential role in digestion, immunity and general health.

At the upcoming ‘Intestinal Microbiome and Medicine: Research News and Practices’ talk, Professor Marteau will present the discoveries being made at the forefront of gastroenterology research.

“We’re establishing the complex relationships between the microbiome and factors such as age, sex, lifestyle and environmental exposures,” says Marteau, adding how the unique composition of each person’s microbiome can have a significant influence on an individual’s bodily functions in many ways.

“The microbiome coexists in balance with its host,” notes Dorotha Czeruska, a research director at the Centre Scientifique de Monaco, emphasising the importance of this equilibrium for health, indicating that disturbances and imbalances can provoke clinical disorders.

Looking ahead to the conference, Marteau’s anticipation is clear: “Our expanding knowledge of the gut microbiome promises to transform our health management strategies.”

The conference is scheduled for Thursday 15th February at 6.30pm.. A live stream will also be accessible through here.

 

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Photo source: Unsplash