“It’s a waste of time every day”: with the prolonged closure of the A13, anger is growing among motorists

Since the closure of the A13 between Paris and Vaucresson on April 19, thousands of Ile-de-France motorists have been champing at the bit. And for good reason. The closure of this major axis linking the capital to Normandy forces commuters to take alternative routes. And this at least until May 11, only for light vehicles in the Province-Paris direction. Except that the alternatives - namely taking the A14 motorway, toll, or the national 118, crowded - make drivers scream with horror.

Running along the Seine to Rouen and serving Mantes-la-Jolie, the A13 is a route used by nearly 100,000 people every day in both directions. Its closure therefore forces these regular motorists to change their habits and switch to other routes. So on social networks, criticisms are pouring out. “For all the inhabitants of the West of Paris it's painful, a waste of time every day,” an Internet user on ] Already the N118 is very congested towards Paris in the morning, there it was just chaos,” criticizes another.

Same reproach made by Claude, a motorist met at Porte Maillot (Paris 16th). This salesperson lives in Mantes-la-Jolie but works three days a week in the capital. And since the closure of his usual highway, the fifty-year-old has tested all possible routes to get to his office. “At the beginning, I took detours to reach the Nationale 118. But it was blocked morning and evening, especially at the interchange with the A86 (one of the roads which connect the A13 and the N118, Editor's note) . I wasted two hours a day in traffic jams,” he explains at the wheel of his Peugeot Partner, this time stuck in the slowdowns of the N13 towards La Défense.

Because disillusioned by the free solution, Claude reluctantly turned to the paid alternative: taking the A14 at Orgeval. “Morning and evening, it's a bit congested at Neuilly-Paris, but it's reasonable... Not like the cost of the toll!” For each trip to Paris, the man must now pay around twenty euros if he wants a decent travel time. “What any sane person would choose,” he believes.

The disappointment of motorists is great. The president of the Île-de-France region Valérie Pécresse and LR MP Karl Olive had called for exceptional free access to the A14, while the A13 was closed. A request dismissed by the Minister of Transport Patrice Vergriete, claiming that this would “saturate” the alternative route. “We looked, and it would perhaps be even worse than the disease, because we would saturate the La Défense tunnel,” he justified.

In response, the drivers immediately jumped into action. “We remind you that the A14 is 12 bullets per 7km. And that no one asked Vinci to make an effort on the price during the closure of the A13", criticized a motorist on to go to Normandy it's either the A13 or pay €10.60 for the A14 so no, clearly we're not going to adapt,” criticized the latter.

Others point to the exorbitant cost of the A86 tunnel, a mandatory passage to reach the N118. “In the meantime we are being robbed by Vinci Autoroutes by taking the A86 tunnel! €9.9 for 6km. A scandal!”, condemns an Internet user, for example. And a second added: “

Some also mock the Musée du Grand Siècle, this construction site suspected of being responsible for the cracks in the A13 and therefore its closure. “But who are the engineers who let this happen? (We know who the politicians are though,” jokes an Internet user.