Christian Estrosi is advancing in his vision of the city and territory of tomorrow and has launched a new initiative: the coexistence of cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, the mobility triangle which becomes a quadrangle if we add public transport.
Yes, there is a bit of self-celebration in all this, the guilty pleasure of presenting what is normal as if it were exceptional, but how can one not prefer concrete facts over the complaints of those who claim to defend noble causes simply because they are part of associations made up of a few friends and when they march, they proclaim themselves “the voice of the people”?
What to choose? Facts against slogans… and pedal, both literally and figuratively!
The presentation of the 2021-2026 Bike Plan firmly enters into the “concrete” actions of the sustainable mobility project in the metropolitan area, including the city of Nice.
Rightfully so, Christian Estrosi claims: “Since 2008, in Nice and the Metropolis, cycling facilities have doubled. This plan integrates with our transportation scheme up to 2040 as well as our Climate Plan.”
Some figures:
The VéloBleu self-service bike system was launched in July 2009 in the municipalities of Nice, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, and Cagnes-sur-Mer, complemented in 2019 by the introduction of over 285 electric self-service bikes through the e-vélos bleus system. More than 6,000 members counted, 2,000 to 2,500 daily users, and over 17,000 subscribers and 12 million rentals since its launch.
Usage counters show a significant increase in the number of cyclists on bike paths: the Promenade des Anglais is the most important crossing point with an average of over 4,000 daily passages since May 2020, while the Promenade du Paillon has an average of 1,250 daily passages. The path along the Cagnes has seen its traffic double with nearly 600 cyclists per day.
New counters installed along the right bank of the Var between Gattières and Le Broc confirm the rather leisure-oriented nature of cycling trips.
The goals of the Metropolitan Bike Plan:
¤ Reach a 10% cycling modal share by 2026 (the Mobility Orientation Law anticipates 9%).
¤ Create 160 kilometers of facilities in the territory, including 75 kilometers in Nice.
¤ Continue developing the network (creating connections, promoting continuity along the coast, a strong network in dense areas…).
¤ Increase the offering of on-street and secured bike parking, especially near multimodal exchange hubs and in parking structures.
¤ Develop services associated with bicycle use.
Starting in 2021, the blue electric bike service will be extended to three new towns: Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
The future cable car lines will be equipped with bike compartments. They will allow crossing of the Var, between the Saint-Laurent-du-Var city hall and Charles Ehrmann, and access to the Var Plain and Lingostière from La Gaude.
Creation of bike paths
Within the framework of the cycling master plan included in the PLUm, continuous and safe routes will be deployed in Nice. Bicycling is systematically integrated into all development projects.
At the scale of the metropolitan territory, it is about developing a structuring network connecting municipalities to one another and to major trip-generation areas like train stations and multimodal exchange hubs.
This network will include:
▪ A new cycling link between Nice and Monaco on as many lengths as possible, especially up to Villefranche-sur-Mer by summer 2021. Initially, in July 2021, 4.5 kilometers of bike paths will be delivered on Carnot, Maëterlinck, and Princesse Grasse boulevards. Sixteen and a half kilometers of routes will be completed by 2023.
▪ A new cycling link between Nice and Pont de la Manda, in Carros, on the left bank of the Var, including the reconstruction of the segment leading to Saint-Isidore starting in 2021.
▪ Development of a secure path in the Paillon Valley to connect La Trinité to the East of Nice for 2022-2023.
▪ A development allowing a connection between Vence and Saint Jeannet for 2022-2023.
