Critics increase against the celebration of the opening of Angers streetcar line

The official opening of the streetcar line of Angers, planned for june 25th, is in the spot of critics. After Jean-Claude Antonini, the mayor of the city, announced, on june 10th, the cost of a party - 400 000 € - designed to celebrate the start of the running of the line, complains surged from his counterparts in the board of Angers Loire Metropole authority, from the Angers medias and from inhabitants about the excess of such an amount in a period of economical difficulties.

 ALM, which had already approached a Paris communication agency to conceive the event, planned to organize, among others things, a party celebrating the end of the scheme (for 1 500 guests) and an official dinner for 200 "Very important persons".

This "happy end" is at least "in line" with the "derailment" of the costs of the project which dropped from 244 to 344 millions €. Before it was started, Alm had already raised at its maximum the rate (from 1,05% to 1,80%) of the transport tax due by all companies employing more than 9 persons in Angers and surroundings (a money which will not go in the pockets of these). And recently, the Alm authority announced a  new tax enforceable to al the Alm households. Is the celebration of the trolley line works appropriate?