Avenue de Saxe has returned to its deconfinement configuration a month ago, with a dedicated lane for buses and bicycles, and another lane that is often congested for cars.

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Jérémy Laugier / 20 Minutes

  • At the time of deconfinement in May, “tactical town planning” made its appearance in the metropolis, and even more since the success of EELV in the municipal elections.

  • New vice-president of the metropolis of Lyon in charge of roads and active mobility, Fabien Bagnon presents at

    20 Minutes

    the projects of numerous cycle lanes.

Avenue de Saxe, between the Saxe-Gambetta and Foch metros, was a summer soap opera in Lyon.

In May, during the deconfinement, the teams of David Kimelfeld, former president of the metropolis of Lyon, transformed one of the two lanes of this major axis into a corridor dedicated to buses and cyclists.

A month later, this route became accessible to motorists again… then only to buses and soft modes in August with the arrival of the ecologist Bruno Bernard at the head of the metropolis.

“The electoral context played a big role in David Kimelfeld's choices regarding tactical town planning,” believes Fabien Bagnon, new vice-president of the metropolis of Lyon, responsible for roads and active mobility.

We were able to realize during a test period that every day, thanks to this corridor, 7,000 Lyonnais saved a lot of time, among which the cyclists but especially the users of the C4 bus.

Motorists were losing on their side only a few minutes more than in the configuration of yesteryear.

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🚲 Lyon, Tassin, Craponne, Francheville, Quais de Saône on the right bank ... More than 30 km of cycle facilities have been created this summer.

The Metropolis of #Lyon continues to create new trails to facilitate travel by #bike!



⏩ https://t.co/ycnaLu6u5F pic.twitter.com/X2ggxFNyaQ

- Metropolis of Lyon (@grandlyon) September 4, 2020

"New sections sometimes limit dangerous"

So much so that the metropolis of Lyon indicates that it has launched 43 km of developments since May, including around thirty during the summer with the EELV turn.

Projects are currently under study in Lyon, Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, Caluire and Villeurbanne to reach 94 km of cycle paths by the end of the year.

“It is certain that even if we are already better off here than in Marseille for example, we are waiting for environmentalists to turn on the issue of cycle paths, says Eric (25), who only travels by bicycle.

Some new sections for two-wheelers are extremely dangerous, as there are often cars parked on them anyhow.

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Like the Cours Gambetta here, Lyon motorists very often park in double line, which annoys many cyclists.

- Jérémy Laugier / 20 Minutes

"Only inefficient mobility can be seen"

As for motorists, Bernard (51) finds that "these new lanes for bicycles are almost always empty while we get stuck in traffic".

The consequences of this recent "tactical town planning"?

“Only inefficient mobility is seen,” answers Fabien Bagnon.

But there, with the bikes, there are few traffic jams, everything is fluid and discreet.

Some figures are staggering, such as the 36% increase in bicycle use in the metropolis compared to September 2019. ”

Deconfinement in Lyon: Is “tactical town planning” in favor of bicycles already a benchmark?

https://t.co/jueeFjKju4 via @ 20minutesLyon pic.twitter.com/hgVL0GxwAc

- 20 Minutes Lyon (@ 20minuteslyon) June 10, 2020

Similarly, the metropolis estimates the daily traffic on the banks of the Rhône at 15,500 bicycles, against around 10,000 before confinement.

Like the situation for several years in Grenoble, should Lyon motorists fear being left behind during this ecological mandate, in the city as in the metropolis?

“There is obviously an overuse of the car in Lyon, where its average speed is only 14 km / h, says Fabien Bagnon, who was previously president of the association La Ville à Vélo.

We therefore want to give motorists an alternative to the car.

I know that a lot of people want more efficient mobility than the private car.

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450 km of express bicycle network targeted… by 2030

In a context of "ecological state of emergency", the metropolis therefore initially opts for "transitional urban planning", which does not fully convince cyclists.

“There is still work to do because it's really complicated to share a lane with a bus but also with scooters.

We all have different driving styles and speeds, ”notes Jean-Philippe (55).

"This situation is not ideal, but it makes it possible to quickly correct any changes and take advantage of it to design studies on long-term projects", Fabien Bagnon says.

Because the metropolis of Lyon is keen to fully embark on "an express bicycle network" of 250 km by the end of the current mandate in 2026, then 450 km by 2030. The first developments will be carried out next year in the Val de Saône, since studies have already been made between Quincieux and Vaise.

And there, with "4 m wide lanes" announced, cyclists should be satisfied.

Lyon

Lyon: Big traffic jams after the creation of temporary cycle paths, two lanes returned to the car

  • Society

  • Lyon

  • Deconfinement

  • ecology

  • EELV

  • Bike