The Strasbourg Christmas market is preparing to open on Wednesday with a security system adapted to manage the influx of visitors expected for a month, the prefect of Bas-Rhin announced on Tuesday.
“The Christmas market has acquired considerable notoriety since the attendance figures over one month are impressive”recalled prefect Jacques Witkowski, referring to the 2023 edition which broke all records with 3.3 million visitors.
“The 2024 version does not seem to be taking a lower path”he warned during a press conference.
Facing the ” challenge “ of the crowd, the prefect announced “some improvements which will allow us to operate more fluidly but also more efficiently”.
Access to Strasbourg Cathedral, a major tourist attraction, will only be via the south facade, in order to separate its visitors from those of the Christmas market.
On Saturday and Sunday, particularly busy days, a one-way pedestrian traffic flow will be established in certain streets and a convivial space will be removed from Place Kléber, the heart of the market. An off-ramp from the M35 motorway into the city center will also be closed.
In the past, high attendance has caused access problems to certain sites, “which could have created anxiety for certain people but also various and varied difficulties in intervention”underlined the prefect.
The police will monitor crowds in real time, with the help of drones, and will be able to decide on exceptional measures such as the temporary closure of a tram stop, pedestrian bridges or the establishment of a sense of single traffic on certain streets.
The challenge is both to ensure the safety of visitors and to “keep an event that is popular, festive, open to everyone”stressed the EELV mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian.
Motorists are invited to leave their car in park-and-ride facilities and travel to the city center by public transport. The parking offer was increased by 2,750 spaces, bringing the total to more than 14,200.
Devices are being renewed such as the grid by the police of the Big Island – the hypercenter of Strasbourg – and random checks of pedestrians and cyclists.
In total, more than 1,000 staff are responsible for securing the Christmas market, open from November 27 to December 27.
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