Luxury Indian Ocean LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN #9 EDITION 2019 - 2020 | Page 78

INDIAN OCEAN
"Le développement
de mobilités
alternatives
semble aujourd'hui
incontournable.
Alors, qu'attendons-
nous ?"
Se déplacer différemment
À Madagascar, les mobilités douces sont
depuis longtemps une réalité : au sein des
villes, vélos, tireurs de pousse-pousse et
taxi-brousse sont omniprésents. Mais à l’île
Maurice, l'ère du tout-voiture s'est imposée
et règne aujourd'hui largement. Le futur qui
s’y dessine s’annoncerait-il cependant un peu
plus « vert »…? Plusieurs Smart Cities – ces
villes intelligentes utilisant les nouvelles
technologies au bénéfice des usagers – s’y
développent actuellement, et promettent un
développement urbain favorisant les modes
de transports plus doux ou partagés. L’arrivée
récente du Métro express sur l’île devrait aussi
permettre de fluidifier les routes mauriciennes
en encourageant l'intermodalité. Du côté
de la Réunion – où la voiture est toujours
très plébiscitée –, si le projet pharaonique
de la Nouvelle Route du Littoral devrait
permettre d’améliorer le trafic sur l’île, un
autre moyen de transport est actuellement à
l’étude : un train nommé Run Rail, qui fera à
terme quasiment tout le tour de l’île (avec un
premier tronçon prévu pour 2022).
Pour inventer nos îles de demain et offrir
à chacun – habitants comme touristes de
passage – un cadre de vie encore plus agréable,
une chose est sûre : le développement de
mobilités alternatives semble aujourd'hui
incontournable. Alors, qu’attendons-nous ?
As traffic jams and levels of pollution
increase throughout the world, more and
more countries are trying to tackle the
problems of transport and develop solutions
to encourage more sustainable alternatives.
Besides walking, other less polluting,
environmentally friendly and more pleasant
ways of getting from place to place are now
promoted, and offer a better quality of life:
bicycles, electric scooters, roller-skates and
shared or cleaner vehicles (electric or hybrid).
Other countries provide plenty of examples
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– new urban transport plans encouraging
intermodality (an integrated approach
incorporating various means of transport
during a journey) have been introduced
in places like Helsinki and Mulhouse;
many cities such as Lyon and Barcelona
are investing in tramways, cycle lanes and
electrical charging points; Copenhagen has
become a cyclist’s paradise, while Norway is
the undisputed champion of clean vehicles.
Could these eco-solutions, similar to those
already present overseas, work in our islands
– and thereby improve our quality of life?
Alternative ways of moving around
Soft mobility has been around for ages in
Madagascar – bicycles, rickshaws and bush
taxis are very much in evidence. In Mauritius,
however, cars in particular reign supreme
but could the future show signs of becoming
a little greener? Several smart cities, using
new technology for the benefit of their
inhabitants, are currently being built with the
promise of urban developments encouraging
soft or shared mobility. The recent arrival
in the island of the Metro Express should
also mean that traffic flows more easily and
encourage intermodality. In Reunion, whilst
cars remain the most favourite mode of
transport, and that the mammoth project of
the New Coastal Road should improve traffic
flow on the island, an alternative method of
transport is currently being assessed – a train
called Run Rail, which may eventually run
right around most of the island, with a first
section planned for 2022.
In thinking about the future of our
islands and providing both inhabitants
and visitors with an even more congenial
living environment, one thing is certain:
the development of alternative forms of
transport now seem unavoidable. So let’s get
on with it!