© Copyright 2009
CIVITAS VANGUARD
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| Lille |
Lille website
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| Lille Metropole, with a population of 1,2 million people, divided into 87 communes and with 600,000 people living on its Belgian side, has become a base for distribution in the centre of Northern Europe and a major route to traffic travelling north-south and east-west across Europe. |
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From the first “mongy” tram to the VAL automated underground railway, it has over time built up a strong transport network, organised to provide continuity over the whole territory and serve the most outlying areas.
Lille Metropole is responsible for the urban public transport system in its territory. Out of its total budget of FRF 8 billion, more than one third is spent on transport. The public of the Lille Metropolis enjoys a very ample choice of methods of transport (3rd largest network of services in France). In particular, these include the driver-less metro system (known as the «VAL», 45 km), a «no step to carriage » tramway system (19 km), 38 bus routes and 42 main rail routes (including 8 which cross the border with Belgium).
The main problem facing the Lille Metropole after a period of substantial investment in its transport infrastructures is how to best develop the links between its inter-urban and international transport services so that development is sustainable. The final objective of this policy, benefiting from a large political support, is to double passenger levels from 100 to 200 million between now and the year 2015.
In order to achieve this objective, the Urban Community is currently running two major programmes already approved by the Lille Metropole Council, as well as a landmark project in co-operation with its institutional partners, the local population of Lille Metropolis, user associations and regional companies:
The Urban Mobility Plan (Plan de Déplacements Urbains, PDU), a means of planning and co-ordination to make all the region transport networks can work effectively together (including provision for inter-modal facilities). Approved in 2000, this plan has to be implemented in stages until 2015
The gradual replacement of the entire bus fleet by buses that run on biogas and/or natural gas in order to have a 100% clean public transport system in 2006.
The Trendsetter Project will permit Lille Metropole to be enriched by the partner’s experience and to boost the several projects foreseen in the framework of the Urban Mobility Plan and the biogas development, in line with the CIVITAS objectives.
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