Consultation: an ongoing dialogue with the people of the Ile-de-France region

Consultations are important stages in the life of each project. They allow us to take the time to inform the stakeholders in the territory concerned, to exchange with them to enrich the project and make it evolve if necessary thanks to the opinions expressed. The consultation concerns all stakeholders: residents, employees, travellers, companies, associations, local authorities, etc. Everyone is invited to participate!

Consultation: discussing projects upstream so that they best meet the needs of the territory and the inhabitants

For each major infrastructure project, Île-de-France Mobilités is committed to involving all users from the outset of the studies, well before a project is completed. The objective is to expose the issues and co-construct solutions to meet the challenges specific to each project.

By taking into account the opinions before the projects are definitively voted, consultation makes it possible to design solutions that are more adapted to the needs of the stakeholders: this can involve the study of a new route, the relocation of a station or the creation of new equipment to facilitate traffic and connections in a station.

Consultation often offers stakeholders the opportunity to decide on several scenarios: should a more ambitious project be carried out but which will take longer to complete, should an existing infrastructure be reused or should it be reviewed from top to bottom, etc. The technical, budgetary and calendar constraints are presented from the beginning so that each stakeholder can provide an informed opinion to the project owner.

An approach that continues throughout the life of the projects

Once an infrastructure project has been finalised and voted on by the Île-de-France Mobilités board of directors, the consultation continues until it is put into service, this is what is known as continuous consultation. It is a question of clearly defining the subjects that can be agreed upon at each major phase of the project's progress and meeting regularly with the stakeholders.

For example, in the case of a new tram line, the route of the line will first be discussed; then the insertion of the platform and the location of the stations; and finally, before the start of the work, the integration of the site into the city and the measures taken to reduce nuisances. Once the consultation has been completed and the work has begun, the dialogue continues with the shopkeepers and local residents until the service is put into service.

In summary, a successful consultation process is one in which the choices made at the outset are not called into question when the project is implemented, and in which continuous dialogue on the ground ensures that the work runs smoothly.

Proven and recognised expertise of Île-de-France Mobilités

Over the years, consultation has become an essential dimension of Île-de-France Mobilités' activity. As a project owner, it leads the majority of consultations on transport projects in the Île-de-France region. To meet this challenge, it has built a proven method relying on a dedicated department of experts to make the link between project designers and local stakeholders.

Consultation in figures (since 2016):

• 14 Consultation and public inquiries
• 53 public meetings and community meetings organised
• More than 2,000 people met
• More than 5,000 opinions expressed, processed, and taken into account in the context of the projects