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.
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.
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Photo source: Kit Suman, Unsplash