The city of Nice has decided to keep the bike lane in the Congress Street tunnel. A decision welcomed by the Nice à Vélo association after several weeks of mobilization and more than 8,300 signatures collected in favor of this facility.
The Congress Street tunnel will remain dedicated to active mobility. The Nice municipality has confirmed the maintenance of the bike link and abandoned plans to reopen it to car traffic.
This decision comes after several weeks of consultation with the various users concerned. Cycling associations, residents, professionals and mobility actors were consulted to assess the consequences of any possible modification to the facility.
For Nice à Vélo, this choice preserves an important axis of Nice’s cycling network. The Congress tunnel is part of the north-south route connecting notably the Promenade des Anglais, Nice-Ville station, the Liberation district and several bike paths in the city center. “We welcome the pragmatic decision made by Éric Ciotti to preserve this bike link. When a facility works, meets a transportation need and allows hundreds of people to choose the bike over the car, common sense dictates that we keep it rather than remove it,” says Antonio Barros, spokesperson for the association. “By relying on usage patterns observed on the ground, this decision recognizes the usefulness of a facility used daily by nearly 900 cyclists and which helps improve mobility at city level.”
More than 8,300 signatures to defend the tunnel
The issue had sparked significant mobilization in recent weeks. Opposed to reopening the tunnel to cars, the Nice à Vélo association had launched a petition to demand the preservation of the infrastructure.
The petition exceeded 1,000 signatures within the first 24 hours before quickly reaching 2,700 supporters in three days. In total, more than 8,300 people have supported the initiative.
The Congress Street tunnel is used daily by cyclists, scooter users and people with disabilities. The link allows access to several traffic routes without crossing the busiest roads of the Promenade des Anglais.
For many users, this route offers greater continuity and safety for daily commutes. Families and people less accustomed to cycling in the city also find it a more suitable passage.
The municipality has indicated its wish to continue discussions on mobility in the coming months to improve traffic conditions and coexistence between different modes of transportation.
This decision comes as the Nice municipality has just obtained the “Bike City of the Tour de France” label as well as the “three bikes” distinction. The territory now has 103 kilometers of cycling facilities at the municipal level, including 82 kilometers of bike lanes, and 246 kilometers at the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis level.
