- Pedestrian experiences on the peninsula have given their first lessons.
- If the walkers appreciated, the traders looked gray.
- The parking problems in the city center were not resolved and the experience proved inconclusive during the week.
What to learn from the pedestrian experience of downtown Lyon? And what consequences are envisaged? The final restitution was made on Tuesday. With a first lesson already: "The experiment carried out during the week was not a success", recognizes David Kimelfeld, president of the metropolis of Lyon. Saturdays, on the other hand, gave more satisfaction. From there to abandon the idea of pedestrianizing the peninsula every day of the week? "Perhaps it will be necessary to focus on Saturdays or even full weekends," replies the elected official. But for the moment, no decision has been made. The directions will be given, one can imagine, after the municipal elections.
If the experience was lived in a very positive way by residents or visitors who overwhelmingly emphasized the reduction in noise pollution, the various assessments also showed some significant problems to be resolved. “People have noticed the noise that surrounds them every day. They have rediscovered the pleasure of strolling, strolling and rediscovering their heritage. They had the feeling of reclaiming public space. However, it is a reappropriation of the facade and we cannot deal with the problem with the small end of the spyglass, ”warns Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert, the mayor of the 1st arrondissement of Lyon.
The traders look gray
Denis Broliquier, the mayor of the 2nd arrondissement, recognizes that "it was worth it to have this experience" but also has reservations. “It was launched too hastily. We must see the consequences for the inhabitants and the traders who suffered, he noted. If we want to perpetuate the pedestrianization of the city center, we must co-build the project without penalizing the traders ”. Because they are the ones who were the most affected according to the various surveys carried out by the CCI, the Federation My Presqu'île and Carré Nord Presqu'île.
Overall, on Saturdays of experimentation, half of the brands surveyed saw their turnover fall against only 20% having noted an increase in their sales. The statistics are still glaring on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 80% of the stores deplore a "strong" or "moderate" drop in their turnover according to the CCI. “This has scared away people, who sometimes come from more than 50 kilometers away and who have a high purchasing power. They never park on the peninsula but in parking lots. They were afraid that they were complete, ”specifies Denis Broliquier.
Little impact on car traffic outside the perimeter
Another lesson to be learned: While car traffic fell by 75% on Saturdays for experimentation and by 62% during the week inside the pedestrian perimeter, it did not, however, decrease outside. "There was not really an impact on the peripheral roads," recognizes Pierre Soulard, head of the urban mobility service in the metropolis, noting a drop of 1%. Because few people come to park on the surface of the streets of the Presqu'île on Saturdays. "Only 2% of all visitors," says Julien Casals of the Nova 7 agency, responsible for carrying out studies on the issue. The others prefer to park their vehicles outside, in car parks, or come by public transport. Or even on foot.
“The problem is that the residential parking lot was not treated during this experiment. However, residential parking is really the one and only parking problem in town, ”deplores Bernard Colombaud, President of CIL Center Presqu'île, who hopes for more citizen consultation in view of the rest of the project. “We cannot do without the advice of the inhabitants and the traders. Otherwise, we go straight into the wall… ”, he warns.
As for the impact on pollution? The data recorded has not yet been published.
Society
Lyon: What you need to know about the pedestrianization of the city center
Lyon
Lyon: On the eve of new tests, traders draw up a mixed picture of the pedestrianization of the peninsula
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