Rue Tiranty in the heart of Nice will be closed to the general public between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., as authorities attempt to regain control of a street increasingly described as an open-air drug zone.

As of Tuesday, July 15, access will be permitted only to residents, customers of shops, and those with medical appointments, under a new municipal decree enacted for reasons of “sanitation and public order.”

Mayor Christian Estrosi, of the centrist Horizons party, justified the unprecedented measure by citing a situation that had become “intolerable,” with the street overrun by drug addicts injecting in public view and leaving syringes strewn across the pavement. “Public order disturbances” and “proven health risks” were among the reasons listed in the city’s official statement.

“We will be uncompromising with those who do not respect the laws of the Republic, who cause disturbances to public order, and who impose, by their behavior, proven health risks,” he added on X.

The first deputy for security, Anthony Borré, who personally supervised the measure’s first day of implementation, described the situation as one of “major health risks” and “omnipresent insecurity,” adding, “The local residents are right. This is unacceptable.”

Depuis des années, la rue Tiranty est marquée par une consommation de drogues en pleine rue, à la vue de tous. Les risques sanitaires sont majeurs, l’insécurité omniprésente, les riverains ont raison. C’est inacceptable!

Voici les images reçues cette semaine d’un habitant ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/aFHNkLtxs0

— Anthony Borré (@anthony_borre) July 11, 2025

Rue Tiranty is a small street just steps from the Notre-Dame Basilica and Place Masséna, but in recent years, it has come to symbolize the chronic failure of public authorities to address France’s worsening drug crisis. Residents report years of violence, threats, open drug use, and trafficking in plain sight. “We’ve been fighting these people since 2008,” one resident told Le Figaro. “They’re untouchable and insolvent, and we just have to take it,” his wife added.

Images shared by city officials show emaciated individuals lying across the sidewalk with syringes in hand or slumped against walls surrounded by suitcases, blankets, and makeshift bedding — a scene that residents say has become part of daily life.

Despite the street’s prime location, many locals now go out of their way to avoid it. Shopkeepers say they are losing customers, and hotel owners report growing concern from tourists. A planned drug support center intended to provide sterile equipment and safe-use services was scrapped in 2022 after strong opposition from the town hall and local residents, who rejected the possibility of “cohabitation” between drug users and families.

À 10 mètres de l’avenue principale de #Nice06 (Jean Médecin), les toxicomanes se piquent à l’héroïne et jettent les seringues.

Combien de temps encore allons nous tolérer ça alors que des enfants passent et jouent à proximité !! #SaccageNice pic.twitter.com/EqvRc4i2UK

— Eric Ciotti (@eciotti) June 16, 2022

Éric Ciotti, UDR MP for Alpes-Maritimes and former leader of the center-right Les Républicains, called the move a “PR stunt” that will do nothing to fix the underlying problems. “It penalizes local residents even more. For years, the town hall has done absolutely nothing, other than making announcements and cosmetic changes. It doesn’t address anything. It simply moves the problem a few meters away.”