The city of Ajaccio is set to inaugurate its cable car 'Angelo' on October 18, despite strong criticism from opponents. Promoted by Mayor Stéphane Sbraggia as an alternative to car use, the project launched in 2019 aims to ease traffic in the rapidly growing eastern neighborhoods. It comes amid a tense municipal election campaign.
Ajaccio's cable car, named 'Angelo,' is poised to begin operations after months of heated criticism. This transport mode, already in use in cities like Toulouse and Brest, connects the outlying neighborhoods of Mezzavia and Saint-Joseph over a 3-kilometer route with a 54-meter elevation gain.
Championed by Stéphane Sbraggia, Ajaccio's mayor (Horizons) and president of the Ajaccio Country Agglomeration Community (CAPA), the project was launched in 2019 by his predecessor, deputy Laurent Marcangeli, who was his deputy at the time. In a city of 75,000 residents where 60,000 vehicles pour in from the east each morning, Sbraggia emphasizes its role as an 'alternative to the car.' A CAPA study shows that 75% of trips under 3 kilometers are made by car, a dominant habit in this city where it 'holds the place of religion.'
'It is a societal choice for soft, sustainable mobility,' Sbraggia has stressed. The cable car targets Ajaccio's eastern sector, which has seen rapid demographic and economic growth over the past five years, including new housing, businesses, a hospital, and a middle school. The October 18 inauguration unfolds against the backdrop of a contentious municipal campaign, heightening opponents' critiques of the controversial initiative.