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"There's a good chance it'll fill up quickly. "With a small smile on his face, local authority president Xavier Lédée made no secret of his satisfaction as he inaugurated the opening of the new regional pound at Petite Saline. In fact, on this Friday, December 19, all those directly or indirectly involved in the development of the project are present on site. It's a necessary project," says Xavier Lédée. It will be a strong support for the shuttle service, and it will enable us to be more active on repression. "
Located right next to the slaughterhouse, the impound lot has over a hundred spaces. A fenced-in area is dedicated to vehicles that are subject to seizure, another will be devoted to "electrics" and a third, known as the "buffer", for vehicles with a risk of leakage (oil, fuel, etc.). Christophe Turbé, who is in charge of the site, points out that the pound is attached to the local authority's environment department. An on-call service has been set up, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, so that we can intervene at any time. For accidents, breakdowns, assistance, but also, and above all, for removals linked to obstructive or prohibited parking. If a vehicle is badly parked, has no insurance or is otherwise unfit, we'll tow it to the impound lot," explains Fred Rolland of SBH remorquage, the company run by Pascal Aubin.
Prevention before repression
Since yesterday, Monday December 22, the local police have been on the ground to carry out a prevention "campaign" aimed at road users. Mainly in Gustavia. Because, in the coming days, fines and removal procedures will really intensify. "All illegal parking will be ticketed, and then the impound service will be called in," confirms the head of the local police force. The Gendarmerie Brigade Commander, Captain Quinchon, also stresses the importance of such a structure to "have a more marked repression".
Lovers of makeshift parking are warned. Two-wheeler riders in particular are particularly targeted. Parking on a sidewalk or in a space reserved for cars can result in fines and impoundment. Gustavia is of course at the heart of the Collectivité's concerns. After the launch of the shuttle service, freeing up parking spaces is a priority. As is clearing the sidewalks of scooters. Two problems seem to be arising, however.
The first is the lack of space reserved for two-wheelers, which are numerous on the island and favored by many road users. At the same time, in Gustavia, the accumulation of scooters on sidewalks and in areas not intended for this purpose is mainly observed in the evening. And while the aim is to encourage scooter owners to use the shuttle service, it stops at 9pm. This does not correspond to the opening hours of Gustavia's restaurants and bars, nor to those of their employees.
In any case, for those whose vehicles end up at the Petite Saline impound lot, there are two steps to recovery. First, payment of a fine to the local police, if the vehicle has been ticketed, and then payment of the towing and daily impound fee. Given the island's parking habits, this should be a good harvest for the pound service.
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The disability center project can - at last - be launched
The disability hub project was due to be completed by the end of 2024. So far, it hasn't even got off the ground. A few architectural proposals aside, it's still on hold. However, the opening of the new regional pound means that the Saint-Jean site on which vehicles have been stored for years has finally been vacated. It is on this plot of land that the disability center is to be built. As a first step, the local authority will have to order a soil analysis and then carry out a soil treatment operation. At the same time, President Lédée states that an architectural competition will be launched. "Ideally, the opening will take place at the end of 2028," says Xavier Lédée, adding that no precise timetable has yet been drawn up.
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Gustavia parking lot and auditorium: still no work in sight
The gigantic "hollow tooth" in the heart of Gustavia will not be filled in the near future. In fact, the site where work is to be carried out on a 130-space parking lot and an auditorium requires further study. The President of the Collectivité, Xavier Lédée, explains: "We had to call in an engineering firm to look at the rocks above the site. We are in discussions with the owners to proceed with the reinforcement of the whole area. After that, we'll reinforce the site. "The president estimates that these operations could be undertaken "at the beginning of the year". As for the work itself, he declares: "Ideally, we'd like to be able to start in February or March. "For the record, the project finalized during the previous term of office was halted under the presidency of Xavier Lédée. The aim was to make a number of modifications. For example, the integration of the territorial library into the structure. This decision continues to be strongly criticized by the Saint-Barth d'Abord group. For economic reasons (an additional cost of almost ten million euros on the initial budget) and for practical reasons, since the project's non-implementation deprives Gustavia of the parking spaces planned for the infrastructure.
