- Respectful of social and ecological distancing, the bicycle is propelled as a flagship means of locomotion of deconfinement.
- The public authorities have multiplied the provisional arrangements, in particular by doubling the busiest public transport lines.
- For cyclists, as for associations, these new cycle paths are welcome with the hope that they will be perpetuated.
" It's awesome ! The cycling facilities installed on rue de Rivoli on the occasion of the deconfinement are unanimous among cyclists on this Monday afternoon. Geneviève, who travels with her daughter who "discovers the bicycle in Paris", is enthusiastic and assures to be less afraid because "there are fewer cars circulating". "I find it pretty good," said Pierre-Louis, 28, a cyclist and a motorist. A city without a car is quite pleasant, especially since rue de Rivoli was horror. We realize that Paris is not so huge, that it crosses very quickly. »Urban cycling professional since he is a courier, Jérémy is waiting to see. "I've been riding since this morning and I haven't seen any big changes," says this young thirty-something on his cargo bike. However, he notes that in Levallois and Neuilly "lanes of the road have been reserved for bikes". Because the temporary arrangements in favor of the little Queen are not reserved only in Paris and extend throughout the Ile-de-France.
The region thus indicates that about ten kilometers of temporary cycle paths have already been put in place and that improvements are continuing this week, under the cover of not too bad weather. In a press release dating from the end of April, the community announced its objectives in the area: "In order to make cycling a mode of travel in its own right in the context of deconfinement, the Region aims to achieve several provisional lines very quickly, by flexible and light layouts to prefigure the final network. The idea is also to push for the realization of the bicycle plan and in particular of the RER-bicycle, namely the doubling of the RER lines by cycle paths.
A "dramatic" change
And Stein van Oosteren can't believe his eyes. "It's extraordinary what is happening," exclaims the spokesperson for the Vélo Ile-de-France collective. We are far from a 100% cycling region but I can tell you that in ten days we did more than we would have done in ten years, in normal times. If there is perhaps one positive point (except for motorists) to remember from the coronavirus crisis, it is that of a boom in cycle facilities. "The change is very concrete, immediate and spectacular," added Stein Van Oosteren.
He cites as an example the bridge of Neuilly, made cyclable as part of the establishment of a completely secure route for cyclists from Paris to La Defense. “We have been asking for a long time for the creation of a cycle path at this location, it was never possible, and with the health crisis, it was possible all at once. Magic of the Covid-19, if you can put it that way. "Even on national roads, they put temporary cycle paths, adds the activist, it was absolutely unimaginable before and today in the blink of an eye, these axes have become cycle paths. In partnership with the Ile-de-France region, the collective has also posted a map listing existing and provisional cycle paths.
Especially Stein van Oosteren praises the quality of certain fittings. For example on the Paris-La Défense axis, "there is a concrete separator that separates cars from bikes and that's what makes all the difference, when you draw a simple yellow line, it's not enough to put all people in confidence. But when there is a separator, everyone dares to ride a bike, even a 7 year old child. And the feeling of security is essential for the practice of two-wheelers to develop. According to an Ipsos survey for the Vinci Autoroutes * foundation, “eight out of ten people questioned fear the aggressive behavior of motorized drivers (two-wheelers or cars) and almost nine out of ten (89%) are afraid of the risk-taking of other users of the road ".
The tracks are useful! Here is our first #VeloIDF Counting:
▶ ️88 bikes 🚲🚲🚲 on the new #90 temporary #cycling tracks of the D906
▶ utiles5 useful lessons 💡
▶ I am removing the 🌷 I wanted to offer to 🏍 Cc @RasLeScoot pic.twitter.com/r6EnYqnudp
And with these temporary tracks, the Vélo IDF collective intends to prove that cycling is more than beneficial and that the temporary must be made to last. "A cycle track transports, when it is well used, more than seven times more people than a lane for cars," argues Stein van Oosteren. For us, it is very important for Ile-de-France residents to realize that there is a new method of getting around that respects social distancing and avoids traffic jams. He is also convinced that the tracks that work will be preserved. And to support his argument, he went to count this Monday morning with a volunteer the bikes in Châtillon along the D906. "Suddenly we have what we need to be able to ride our bikes safely," he concludes. It will democratize cycling in Ile-de-France. "
* From February 28 to March 9, 2020, Ipsos interviewed, via the Internet, 2,400 French people aged 16 and over, using the quota method.
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- Deconfinement
- Bike
- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Paris