Through Bryan Nardelli
Published on
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“There are many who respect others but there are also a large part of bicycles who pass right by us at full speed or who honk their horns so that we push each other,” laments David, one of the many pedestrians from St. Catherine Street this Monday, January 17, 2022 at Bordeaux.
According to Olivier Cazaux, deputy mayor of the Bordeaux Sud district, 800 cyclists a day take the course of the Somme on their way to Place de la Victoire. A stream of cyclists crosses the square and takes the busy rue Sainte-Catherine.
A completely legal practice but which sometimes generates a feeling of insecurity on the part of passers-by and makes it difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to live together.
A feeling of insecurity
“There are too many cyclists going through red lights. Besides, I have already been knocked down by one of them, ”says René Vernay, president of the association Rights of the pedestrian in Gironde.
For retirees, excessive speed on bicycles, going through red lights or brushing against pedestrians only reinforces an already present feeling of insecurity.
“I’m a cyclist and I never go down Sainte-Catherine Street because I find it dangerous with all the pedestrians. The car must respect the cyclist and the cyclist must respect the pedestrian,” he explains.
For Benoit Gilliot, coordinator of the Vélo-cité association in Bordeaux, Place de la Victoire, Rue Sainte-Catherine and the quays are the three places in the city that most complicate the cohabitation between pedestrians and cyclists.
If you’re a biker and you have a car speeding past you, it’s stressful. It is also when a bicycle brushes against a pedestrian.
On the other hand, it is not only pedestrians who complain about cyclists, the reverse is also valid. “It also happens that bicycles complain about the behavior of pedestrians when they walk on cycle paths while driving at more than 20 km/h”, adds the coordinator.
Among the solutions considered, the member of Vélo-cité claims a dedicated layout for each mode of travel. “The pedestrian must remain number one in the scale of priorities”, he specifies.
Missing cycle paths
For Olivier Cazaux, it is the development of the Place de la Victoire that needs to be reviewed: “When we took the tram, we forgot the cycle path. »
When you arrive from Cours de la Somme, Argonne or Marne and want to join the cycle path of Cours Pasteur, what do you do? You are obliged to pass in the middle of everyone on the Place de la Victoire.
Right in the heart of Bordeaux, the lack of cycle paths leads to two solutions for cyclists: using the tram tracks, a practice that remains prohibited to this day, or else, passing in the middle of all the pedestrians at the exit of the tram favoring conflicts between users of Place de la Victoire.
“Each time there is a bicycle-pedestrian conflict, it is the fault of the layout of the place which sends everyone back to the same place. If you merge a cycle path into a pedestrian area, you are sure to have problems”, specifies Benoit Gilliot.
An oversight, which, beyond having an impact on bicycles and pedestrians, also has consequences on other traffic lanes.
“On each side of the tram tracks, there is often not enough space for bicycles and cars to coexist. You can’t double. As a result, even if it is prohibited, cyclists prefer to ride on the tram platform, which leads to bicycle/tram conflicts,” he adds.
Verbalization and pedagogy
As the development of Place de la Victoire is not on the agenda and the circulation of bicycles in Rue Sainte-Catherine is still authorized, the town hall is banking on prevention and verbalization which can amount to up to 135 euros.
A fine, which can vary depending on the interpretation of the police, who must first show pedagogy.
“A member of the mayor’s cabinet ran a red light some time ago. The municipal police officers were extremely pedagogical, reminded him of the rules and warned him. The fine was reduced to 35 euros and even 22 euros if the person paid immediately, ”says Patrick Papadato, municipal councilor for roads, mobility, accessibility and parking.
A communication campaign will be launched in February 2022 to reduce incivility and soften the relationship between bicycles and pedestrians.
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