• According to the number of members of the Nice street vibe association, which represents the community of riders, nearly 150 people skate in the city.

  • Problem, the infrastructure is lacking: only two skateparks exist, the first is private, the second is at the other end of the city.

  • Skateboarders then take to the streets to practice their sport which is also their passion… This displeases the residents and therefore the town hall.

At the start of the Promenade des Anglais, on the Quai des Etats-Unis in Nice, a dozen young people take on skate tricks. Around the replica of the Statue of Liberty, it is their spot "always", says Gauthier, 23, a regular who has been practicing for more than ten years. He remembers “a time when this place was marked out for a roller skating association”. It must be said that asphalt is ideal for small wheels. With the sea, the palm trees and the sun, "this is the perfect place", adds the skater. “It is a showcase, a reference. For us, this is where everyone starts and where we end up. Always respecting pedestrians and other road users, ”explains Raphaël, another skateboarder. Because the Prom 'is also very touristy. “People love it. They stop and look at us. Occasionally,they even ask us for lessons, ”says Marina, 24, longboard dancing world champion who has been training here for six years.

Since her title obtained last January, "passers-by have recognized her" and she is in great demand by the media. Even if it was already very well known locally. “It's impossible to be from Nice and not know Marina,” adds Raphaël. That day, it was the community manager of the city of Nice who came to film her and "make a reality" for Instagram. The world champion smiles. “It's funny because the police came by there and didn't say anything. They have already fined me several times because we are not allowed to drive here. No matter how famous I am, as soon as the cameras go, my life goes on and our conditions remain the same. It's good to be in an ad for five years to promote the city when I'm almost 400 euros in fine for doing the same thing but this time,without being filmed. "

"Paris is already thinking about 2024, Nice is still in 1904"

These conditions are decrees which prohibit skateboarders from practicing their discipline at each spot, the one in front of the Nucéra library, on the Rossetti square, or at the courthouse.

Why not go to the two skateparks that exist in Nice?

“The one from Jean-Bouin is private and therefore chargeable and the one offered by the municipality, at the Falicon sports complex, is at the other end of the city, so not very practical”, specifies Gauthier.

The community of Nice riders feels “excluded”.

"We are not only asked to give a good image during so-called urban events but when we have to train, we are fired, indignant Gauthier.

They make us look like delinquents when we just want to be able to do what we like ”.

Marina adds: “I am considered a high level athlete at the faculty.

Skateboarding is at the Olympics.

Paris is already thinking about 2024, Nice is still in 1904. We must evolve and consider ourselves ”.

Ongoing projects with the town hall

If the municipality attacks skateboarders, it is also "because of complaints from the neighborhood". Raphaël, 21, is also the representative of the Nice street vibe association, created two years ago to "shake things up" and because he "couldn't take the situation any longer". "A resident wanted to take a case to court, which led to a confrontation with the town hall and from there, a work of mediation was born with the town". Since its creation, it has already succeeded in doubling the opening hours at Jean-Bouin. A breakthrough because sport "brings together all ages and professions" and that before, there were only two slots open to the public.

With the town hall, short, medium and long term projects are underway to supervise the practice and establish rules. It is based on what has been done in Bordeaux or Lyon. “The first objective is to have schedules arranged and reserved for skaters, to create a peaceful climate. Then, we would like urban developments, modules, ramps, dispatched everywhere, so that everyone, and therefore all the noise, is not in the same place. After all that, we will think of completely dedicated and accessible places ”, details the representative of the community, happy to see“ that things are improving ”and“ that there is listening ”.

“What we want is just to be taken into account.

And then, it's also an opportunity to show how much this discipline is part of the city.

There will always be a city and its skaters, it's inseparable.

So, we might as well do things together.

You don't need much, but you have to understand that skateboarding can bring a lot, ”he concludes.

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  • Nice