Police are paying extra attention to the behavior of scooter and motorcycle drivers.
This operation aims, among other things, to unclog sidewalks and enforce traffic laws, but it is not welcomed by all residents of Nice.
“It is indeed a declaration of war!” The words are out. Antoine Jean, departmental coordinator for the French Federation of Angry Bikers of the 06 district, has a very clear opinion on the subject. According to him, indiscriminate repression is not the best solution. He explains: “Municipal police will fine everything and anything. What more? We are not in a banana republic!”. Not convinced of the effectiveness of such an operation, Jean is, however, in favor of more prevention and training.
However, Antoine Jean is harsh on poor two-wheeler drivers. He blames them without hesitation: “As for respecting traffic laws, I am 100% in favor of penalizing offenders. And if they get fined, too bad for them.”
As a young scooter driver, Michaël, 21, sees the stricter control on two-wheelers as “abusive”. He is used to being checked frequently, which he attributes to his clothing (tracksuit). Yesterday morning, he did not avoid another check. When asked about the parking of two-wheelers, Michaël exclaims: “It’s ridiculous to hand out fines everywhere. Police must be logical. If the scooter is parked on a wide sidewalk, how does it bother anyone? I don’t see how a flurry of fines would be effective.” He simply concludes: “If the goal is to encourage proper parking, they should create more parking spaces.”
A view shared by the departmental coordinator of the FFMC06. In office since February 2006, and a member of the FFMC06 for 25 years, Antoine Jean speaks candidly: “We have to park somewhere. Parking spaces are scarce. Since the tramway construction, more and more people are buying two-wheelers. As a result: motorcyclists are having as much trouble as car drivers.”
The arguments against this new measure are piling up. Feeling more concerned than ever by the operation launched yesterday, Antoine Jean continues his thoughts: “This operation is simply aimed at filling the state’s coffers. As for the city hall, it allows it to gain some publicity among the elderly, as Nice is a city with many seniors.” The issue is contentious.
Yet, Suzanne, a Nice resident over 60 years old, is not fooled. Sitting at a bus stop near Acropolis, with some mopeds roaring nearby and slightly muffling her voice, she shares: “This new operation is a red herring. It won’t be very effective because people no longer respect anything. And that is precisely the problem. It needs to be addressed at its root.” Speaking forthrightly with a serious tone, she continues her analysis: “In Nice, there needs to be a very intelligent person to change the mentality of the people of Nice. And to succeed, you must start teaching them what respect is in school directly. After that, it’s too late.”
For now, Antoine Jean is not sitting idly by. He knows what to do: “I will soon ask Jean Hanot, the deputy for security, if he can meet with me to learn exactly what he intends to do. And then I will probably put this question on the agenda of the general assembly of the FFMC06 scheduled for February 9th.” Case to follow.
