The
river network of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region
Introduction
Endowed
with an ideal location, the PACA region benefits by a set of
various transport networks among which we can quote the rivers.
For
a lot of people in PACA, the river seen as a means of transport
linked to the economy of the region is not well known.
It
is a heritage of the past (cf : The Roman times with Arles as a
capital city) and a major stake for the region.
The
hydrography of the Provence-Alpes-Côte
d'Azur
region is dominated by the river Rhône, a navigable river which
separates th Languedoc-Roussillon
region frome the PACA region.
The
Rhône’s delta, which constitutes the
Camargue,
is almost completely situated in the region territory.
One
of its main affluents, the Durance
(320 km), a river with quasi-torrential character, is the main axis
of penetration in the mountainous part of the region : the
Alps.
The artificial Serre-Ponçon Lake in the Hautes
Alpes
is the 2nd biggest in Europe. Sainte
Croix Lake
between the Var and the Alpes
de Haute Provence
is also artificial and with its turquoise waters attracts lots of
visitors in summer. The impressive Gorges
du Verdon
form the vastest canyon in Europe, with five lakes. Though these
lakes are not used for transport, they attract many tourists and are
a source of income for the region.
The
Rhône, a means of transport
The
barges of Freycinet type measure 38, 50 m of length with a 350 ton
capacity. Very numerous 20 years ago, they represent only 2 % of the
Rhone fleet today.
The
Rhône is characterized by a navigation with boats which can
transport 2000 to 4000 tons of goods.
The
transport by inland waterway is increasing : more than 33 % over
the last 10 years, in spite of a decrease in 2007, with sectors of
main goods such as the food-processing industry (farm products +
food), energetics (main fuels + petroleum products), metallurgical
(ores and metal scraps + waste of the metal industry), building
materials or still chemical products or heavy parcels and conveys.
The
Rhône in 2007 has a traffic of 671 100 EVP.
Work
The
employment on the river network mixes several areas (security,
environment, merchandising, but also construction sites, engineering
on construction of new means of transportation, or transportation
corridors,…). More over, the river network is still developing so
there is much to be done in construction sites.
In
order to develop the river network, the industries receives financial
help to preserve the environment, modernize the boats and make
navigation safer, and for the emergence of new line of river
transport and finally to promote and renew the professions linked to
the riverway network.
The
protection of the environment
The
Rhône and its close environment offer numerous resources for the
leisure activities : nautical sports activities, leisure centers
etc.
The
development of river tourism is a European and national concern. The
ambition is to find " a good ecological state " of the
aquatic circles before 2015.
Advantages
of river transport
The
river network is less polluting compared with the other means of
transport such as the rail or road transport. It corresponds to
approximately 2,6 times less greenhouse gas emissions than road
transport. It is an ecological mode of transportation that serves the
needs of local economies and avoid excessive reliance on the road.
A
few numbers to think :
A
single barge equals 140 trucks, a train equals 80 trucks. With 5
liters of fuel per ton of merchandises, a barge can travel : 75 times
more distance than a plane and
5
times more than a truck.
Other
advantages can be quoted :
an
attractive cost
reliability,
safety, flexibility and fluidity
River
transport has a part to play in the sustainable development and
optimization of our region’s resources.
Drawbacks
Unfortunately,
the river network is limited to the main rivers. Also, this network
is less known than the railway network or the highway network, so it
provides less jobs.
Moreover,
the river network implies some limits. There are problems of
pollution. And the rivers of PACA are not used enough for merchandise
transport and tourism.
Finally,
the link between the
Rhone
and the
Rhine
is not efficient even if it could represent an important economic
opening of our the region to Europe.-->
THE
RIVER NETWORK
MAP
A
map of France:
MY
CHOICE
I
have chosen to work on the river network because I love boats. My
mother works in a boat company. But I knew nothing about the river
network because it is different from the sea. I wanted to learn more
about this subject: especially
about transport, work
and tourism.
ADVANTAGES
Increasing
environmental concerns, sustainable development and the problems
associated with saturation of our roads encourage more companies to
find other means of moving goods. In this evolution, the river
transport has an ever more important role to play.
Compared to other modes of freight transport,the river transport has many advantages. Thus, they are:
> A safe and reliable solution: the risk of accidents is extremely reduced.
> A green solution: it is a mode of transport environmentally friendly. Indeed, a sailing ship of 1,350 tons at full load means at least 40 fewer trucks on the roads!
> A competitive and economical solution: it is an efficient energy which emits less CO2 and can carry very large tonnages. It is therefore a low-polluting means of transport.
Compared to other modes of freight transport,the river transport has many advantages. Thus, they are:
> A safe and reliable solution: the risk of accidents is extremely reduced.
> A green solution: it is a mode of transport environmentally friendly. Indeed, a sailing ship of 1,350 tons at full load means at least 40 fewer trucks on the roads!
> A competitive and economical solution: it is an efficient energy which emits less CO2 and can carry very large tonnages. It is therefore a low-polluting means of transport.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire