The situation, which has worsened in recent days, is dramatic. Forty-six people have lost their lives on the department’s roads since January. Motorcycle riders are the main victims.
Isn’t this situation enough to rethink the mobility system and promote soft mobility with the massive use of bicycles, given that the distances traveled only exceed a few kilometers (the average in Europe is 7.5 km)?
This is what Xavier Garcia and Laurent Lanquar-Castel, political leaders dressed as “bike commuters,” recommend, referring to the Government’s Bike Plan aimed at supporting the development of cycling use in regions. They are calling on municipalities to seize the “Bikes and Territories” Call for Projects to make the Alpes-Maritimes an exemplary area where people can “move better and breathe better.”
The two experts start with an observation: while the majority of trips do not exceed 5 km, only 2% are made by bicycle (national average 3%, Netherlands 17%!).
Yet several coastal cities (Nice leading, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Antibes, Cannes, Menton) have created bike lanes and established a “blue bike” system.
Yes, respond Xavier Garcia and Laurent Lanquar-Castel, but “they are intended for tourists and occasional cyclists.”
For them, something else is needed: “the first action to implement is a hierarchy of roads. On the one hand, structural axes should benefit from a proper two-way separated bike lane, and if they are one-way, a bike lane in the opposite direction. Other roads should be residential areas with a 30 km/h speed limit where counter-flow cycling is possible.”
Another major point is the network of stations and flow management, which should create a balance between supply and demand to avoid peaks.
A new axis is represented by electric bikes, especially with hilly topographies, still hindered today by the price and theft issues for which preventive measures must be considered: marking, appropriate protection equipment, preferred parking areas, etc.).
There is no shortage of ideas and proposals to make a shift effective. In short, everything can be done, you just have to want it.
Two major obstacles remain: the willingness and determination of local officials (all supporting motorists against the Prefect’s decision to reduce the speed on a 4 km stretch of the A8 to 80 km/h!!!) and the change in mindset that requires information and new education.
This is the “velorution” proposed by Xavier Garcia and Laurent Lanquar-Castel.
