Saturday May 8, 2:30 p.m., at the Reformed, top of the Canebière (1st).

The Firefighter Pony Club fanfare sounds its instruments in front of a swarm of cyclists who have dismounted.

Ready for departure, leaning on her touring bike, Estelle explains the reasons for her presence at this first deconfinement Vélorution: “It's complicated to cycle in Marseille, to park, not to have it stolen.

The city lacks infrastructure to be able to get around properly by bicycle.

»In her previous life, she lived in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique).

So, inevitably, she can not help but compare: "For the bike, it's still much better there".

"We are the traffic"

Camille adds, detailing the reasons for this event which brought together nearly 300 people. “We are mobilizing to show that there are many of us, and that there is a need for more adjustments. "If he concedes" that there are efforts made ", he considers that" it is not enough ". The credo of these activists of the little queen? “We are not blocking the traffic, we are the traffic! A subtle distinction for those users of public roads for whom the car leaves too little room.

Their fight is such that they even mobilize elected officials.

The proof ?

Helmet screwed on the head and mask on the nose, Didier Jau, environmental mayor of the 4th and 5th arrondissements, is one of the demonstrators.

"The" critical mass "(bicycle demonstration organized simultaneously in several cities, Editor's note) is extremely important, he explains.

This is the number that will make it possible to influence public policies to develop soft mobility.

You have to be able to get around by bike without putting yourself in danger.

"

"Marseille is not suitable for the car"

But is Marseille really the ideal setting for the little queen? In addition to the lack of infrastructure denounced by this gathering, its hilly terrain hardly facilitates wheel turns on a small pinion. An argument that Camille brushes aside: “In fact, it's the opposite, Marseille is not a city adapted to the car. There are hardly any large boulevards like in Lyon or Paris, but a multitude of small streets. Marseille lacks space, so it is ideal for accommodating bicycles. Besides, the weather is nice there almost all year round, and there is much less wind than in Holland ”, the country of cycling.

The activist does not dispute the danger of automobile traffic, but argues: “We see more and more families on bicycles.

And that is a real marker, it shows that the city is calming down in this area.

" An example ?

Charles, president of the Excelsior Marseille Bike Club, drives his children to their school in Pointe-Rouge every morning from the city center using a cargo bike, not even electric.

“I did the math,” he says.

By pedaling, it takes 17 minutes.

By car, between 35 and 47 minutes depending on traffic.

"

Cycling plan 2019-2024

But then, what are the responses provided by the public authorities to these Marseillais with calves of steel? On the Metropolitan side, a 2019-2024 cycling plan has been adopted, and has three main axes: "Developing the use of the bicycle in daily journeys", "promoting access to bicycles for as many people as possible" and " strengthen the attractiveness of the territory and secure the use of bicycles ”. On the program, we find the creation of secure bicycle lines, such as the one linking Marseille to Aubagne via the Huveaune valley, recently announced by the public establishment. Eventually, in 2030, we could travel on 280 km of cycle paths in the metropolitan area. But the implementation of this plan would be too slow in the eyes of the cyclists gathered on Saturday.

By way of comparison, the agglomerations of Toulouse and Strasbourg each have around 600 km of lanes reserved for bicycles.

For Marseille intramural, difficult to have the current figures.

But the Metropolis promises "a network of 85 kilometers operational by 2024 and nearly 130 km in 2030".

Finally, some of the “corona tracks” traced last June over a total of 6 km after the first confinement could be made permanent this summer.

But some keep in mind the withdrawal of the Prado one barely a few days after its installation ...

1,000 electric bikes

More recently, the Metropolis announced the launch of a call for tenders "for the installation of 2,000 self-service electric bicycles in Marseille in 2023".

But it risks being overtaken by the town hall of Printemps Marseillais, which announces 1,000 self-service electric bicycles in the city from here ... on May 23 of this year, the objective being to promote a mode of travel " low-carbon ”to limit pollution and traffic jams.

The selected operator is expected to be appointed on May 17.

Could this be the start of a rolling business, against the backdrop of a political sprint between City and Metropolis?

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