How Rennes intends to shape a "peaceful city center"

Rennes will perpetuate its transitional arrangements put in place in favor of cyclists and pedestrians with deconfinement.

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• Established in deconfinement to avoid the use of solo cars, pedestrian and cyclist facilities will be made permanent in Rennes.

• The city wants to transform its city center into a “peaceful area”.

• The number of cyclists increased by 6% from September 2019 to September 2020.

The transitional arrangements will be retained.

Established in deconfinement, the cycle lanes, bicycle-streets and enlarged pedestrian areas will be made permanent in the city center of Rennes.

This is obviously not a surprise but it reflects the philosophy of the new municipal majority.

While waiting for the delivery of metro line B, announced for June 2021, the city wishes to shape "a peaceful downtown" accessible to all.

“These developments are not a whim of elected officials in Rennes.

They were put in place to prevent our inhabitants from referring to the private car at the time of deconfinement.

And it worked ”, welcomes the ecologist Valérie Faucheux, mobility assistant.

To ensure the usefulness of its facilities, the city conducted a satisfaction survey, accompanied by a questionnaire.

An overwhelming majority of respondents validate the usefulness of the efforts made in favor of soft modes.

Cyclist counting stations have also seen record traffic in recent months.

In September, the number of cyclists increased by 6% in the Breton capital.

“These arrangements are not just for bikes and pedestrians.

In République, bus drivers are much quieter not to have cyclists on their way, ”continues Marc Hervé, Nathalie Appéré's first assistant.

When line B comes into service, 600 daily bus passages will be canceled.

New section of the #bicycle express network at #Rennes Avenue Buttes de Coësmes:

✅Continuity of development

✅Differentiation of the coating

✅Lighting

❌Not enough width to double

❌Treatment of intersections

❌No relief / sidewalk

❌No enough space / plantations pic.twitter.com/bsgU0zU7z7

- Florian LE VILLAIN (@flolevillain) October 12, 2020

When certain improvements did not prove to be relevant, the city modified them, such as the cycle path on Boulevard de la Tour d'Auvergne, which has been redesigned.

"The buses found themselves in the car traffic and were very late," recalls Valérie Faucheux.

Cyclists therefore share their lane with buses.

Not ideal but more consistent.

"Our city center must not be closed to cars"

In the coming months, the city will therefore set about changing all of the temporary plots and markings, often shown in yellow, to drape them in white and make them final.

Operations that question motorists, who sometimes see the number of lanes reserved for them reduce.

“Our city center should not be closed to cars.

We must keep the ability to come to town with our car, by parking in open car parks.

It is more the transit in the city center that raises our questions ”, explains Marc Hervé.

“We are coming out of fifty years promoting the car.

We then thought that we could have everyone live together.

Now, we have to make choices, without opposing each other, ”advises Valérie Faucheux.

To limit congestion, the elected ecologist advocates "to try another mode of transport than the car once or twice a week.

By doing this, the Rennes residents are leaving room for those who really need it ”.

Not sure that the message will be accepted by all, but whatever.

The city assumes its choices.

“The inhabitants asked us to shape a peaceful city heart.

This is what we are working on.

But we will not put more cars in town, ”slice the elected representative of the district center Didier Le Bougeant.

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• Live the city better

• Nathalie Appéré

• Metro

• Cyclist

• Covid 19

• Deconfinement

• Coronavirus

• Transport

• Public transport

• Bike

• Pedestrians