Residents and shopkeepers expressed their anger outside the town hall. The police had to set up a security barrier because the gathering was not declared to the prefecture.
“It’s absurd to have blocked this Gambetta Boulevard,” said Loïc Vallon, a shopkeeper on Gambetta. To support his point, he cites the example of a supermarket in his neighborhood. “For example, in the morning, when the Super U supermarket receives deliveries, it blocks the entire boulevard, and so we are stuck behind each other, which is unbearable.”
A dialogue of the deaf
Eric Fouzari, president of the Parc Imperial-Gambetta neighborhood committee, tried to discuss with the traffic deputy Gaël Nofri, with little success. “I suggested to Mr. Nofri to visit residents on each street, propose meetings to find solutions. In the end, nothing happened, and today, he continues to stand firm on his positions.”
At the beginning of the protest, Nice’s first deputy Anthony Borré spontaneously came to meet with the demonstrators. Unfortunately, the tone quickly escalated and led to a conversation that went nowhere.
“It is the town hall’s duty to produce studies because the mayor has been saying for years that he will build a bike lane on Gambetta Boulevard, but the studies should have been done beforehand. According to Nice-Matin, there are already studies on Rue Arson, and just on Gambetta Boulevard alone, we have already wasted 1,100,000 euros,” lamented a resident.
Frustrated shopkeepers
The shopkeepers describe a disastrous situation for their businesses. This bike lane has a direct effect on the boulevard’s attractiveness. “There is a lot of difficulty, especially in the evenings when we see few people. It is difficult to park when you want to enter a shop. The result? The boulevard is a desert compared to previous years. There are many people, but they stop at the promenade. The problem is the tourists we lose. They represent a huge loss in revenue. I’ve had a turnover loss of 30% to 40% since the traffic ban,” complained Gaetan Mauricio, a shopkeeper on Gambetta Boulevard.
What about the residents?
A neighborhood resident who is also a cyclist criticizes a plan that could have been a very good thing. “It results in the Musicians’ Quarter becoming unbearable with increased noise pollution. The bike plan is a good thing when it aims to reduce pollution and not the opposite. The traffic transfer from Gambetta has been redirected to Rue Guiglia towards Rue Rossini, as well as Avenue des Fleurs. So, everyone passes through Rue Cronstadt to go back up, and it’s a nightmare. We hear motorcycles and trucks because of the red lights.”
A clear demand
Mr. Fouzari has had several meetings, but he has consistently asked for the same thing. “I asked to establish a genuine consultation involving a cycling association and residents. It will be organized by representatives of neighborhood committees and shopkeepers so that everyone can discuss this in August.”
Today, there are two neighborhood committees affected by this problem: the Musicians and the Parc Imperial.
Another resident adds, “Restore vehicle traffic so that we can then discuss the implementation of this bike plan.”
