The PCF 06 demands the toll-free status of the A8 in Nice to improve air quality, ease traffic, and reduce travel costs for workers. This demand, which has been advocated for decades, aims to promote the general interest rather than the profits of highway companies.
The French Communist Party of the Alpes-Maritimes is reviving an old demand: to make the Nice section of the A8 highway toll-free. According to the party, this measure would have an immediate impact on air quality, traffic, and the purchasing power of the residents.
Currently, many drivers avoid the toll highway and pass through the city, contributing to the congestion of urban routes. The PCF 06 believes that making the A8 toll-free would encourage these drivers to use the highway instead of venturing into the city center. This traffic shift would reduce pollutant emissions and improve air quality.
The economic issue is also at the heart of the debate. The cost of toll journeys burdens workers who have to travel daily. “With stagnant wages and skyrocketing living costs, toll-free highways are a measure of social justice!” asserts the PCF 06.
An old demand
The idea of making this portion of the highway toll-free is not new. As early as 1997, activists were distributing leaflets at toll stations to protest against the extension of the concession granted to ESCOTA. According to them, the highway should have been made toll-free after thirty years of operation, but the concession was extended.
The issue of temporary toll-free access for certain events also reveals an inequality. Recently, the motorcyclists of the Bol d’Or benefited from toll-free access to certain sections, as was the case for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For the activists, this differentiated treatment shows that targeted toll-free access is possible and could be extended to everyday users.
The PCF 06 calls on the state and local authorities to impose this measure. “Priority should be given to the health of residents, the mobility of workers, and the general interest, not to shareholders’ profits!” insists the party. The fight for a toll-free A8 in Nice remains a political and social issue of current relevance.