• The consultation on the place of terraces in the city launched this summer by the municipality of Lyon worries professionals.

  • They fear a closing at 10:30 p.m. and a reduction in pitches.

  • For its part, the town hall wants to reassure them.

Since the start of the school year, concern has been growing behind the counters of bars in Lyon.

At aperitif time and the last rays of sunshine, the subject mobilizes part of the conversations.

Tray in hand, the waiters distribute leaflets on which it is written in large letters "Terraces in danger".

"The city's plan would be to close our terraces at 10:30 p.m. so as not to disturb the residents too much", slips one of them before turning to a few regulars: "Have you heard of the investigation?

»

The curious listen, intrigued.

Others respond with a volley, indignant.

“Yes, I started to answer but I didn't finish because I found the questions very biased,” says a client.

Sometimes, none of the answer choices offered worked for me.

“I wondered where they were coming from”, abounds an equally taken aback second.

A feeling shared by the profession.

“The questions are extremely biased.

They encourage us to go in the direction of the town hall, "is indignant Geoffrey Clavel, president of the cafés and brasseries of the Rhône.

This summer, the city of Lyon launched a consultation on the "place of terraces in the city" in order to adapt the regulations concerning them by 2023 and to "guarantee a harmonious and balanced integration" into the public space.

The question of opening hours is already being debated.

Should we reduce them or keep them as they are?

“I don't want them to close at 10:30 p.m.

In summer, it's really nice to be outside late at night.

They are an integral part of places of conviviality”, supports a customer seated with his glass of beer.

"There was never any question of closing the terraces at 10:30 p.m."

“However, there was never any question of closing the terraces at 10:30 p.m.

This rumor has been circulating for a year.

I don't know where it comes from, but it's not our project”, wishes to clarify Valentin Lungenstrass, deputy to the city of Lyon, in charge of public spaces and commercial occupations of the public domain.

“We regularly receive complaints from residents on this or that terrace.

We find it difficult to gauge reality.

This questionnaire will provide a clearer, more homogeneous view of the whole city”, continues the young man.

Not enough to reassure the profession, however.

Their fear: that despite everything, too much importance is given to disgruntled residents.

“Some have become accustomed to more tranquility during the Covid-19 period.

They would like it to last forever but we're still not going to give them the match point, ”geoffrey Clavel gets carried away.

And to insist: “We have been in agony for two years, in survival mode.

We are drowning in debt, we have taken out loans that we are struggling to repay, we have received almost no state aid, contrary to what was announced.

This is not the moment.

If we favor living well together, we will no longer live.

»

120% more bankruptcies

According to the profession, bankruptcies have increased by 120% this year compared to 2021. “90% of terraces in Lyon are well kept.

We are not going to question everything for 4 or 5 establishments which malfunction, underlines Geoffroy Clavel again.

What we ask of the town hall is to support its merchants.

»

“Lyon loves its terraces, there was never any question of removing them, replies Valentin Lungenstrass again.

On the contrary, our objective is to promote these spaces as a place of conviviality while paying attention to the uses of public space and tranquility.

The elected official also indicates that he is in favor of the creation of an additional option allowing bar owners to have a terrace all year round on certain parking spaces, and no longer from May to the end of September, as this is currently the case.

As for the new regulations, they should be put in place in the fall of 2023.

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