Late Thursday afternoon, a young woman on a bicycle died while riding a cycle path in the municipality of Loos, near Lille in the north. A drama that scandalizes the community of cyclists on social networks, especially since the danger of such developments had already been denounced.
The exact circumstances of the accident will have to be defined by the investigation opened after the tragedy. According to the first evidence available to us, the young woman of 20 was cycling on the cycle path when she swerved to avoid a vehicle door that had just opened. She fell on the road, under a heavy weight, which she continued on her way, dragging the cyclist under her wheels for about fifty meters. The driver did not hear the cries of witnesses asking him to stop, one of them said 20 minutes. According to firefighters, the young woman died instantly.
“The infrastructure of this road is a disgrace”
A drama that is not the first of its kind and that scandalizes cyclists, who denounce unsuitable infrastructures. “The people of Lille are paying with their lives because of your infrastructure,” Aude complains on Twitter. “The infrastructure of this road is a disgrace, especially as it has been refurbished, making it even more dangerous,” adds Samyleiev. “This road is not wide enough for trucks and a cycle path,” observes Sébastien.
Everyone agrees on one point: these “road signs” between the carriageway and the parking lots are a heresy. “Painting will never be enough”, Barda gets carried away, claiming real “safe cycle paths”. “I’m so angry! The cycle paths along the parking lots are criminal. This type of agreement is no longer necessary! strikes Enroueslibres. “This death is due to the incompetence of the city of Loos and the MEL, which has maintained a deplorable road layout that does not protect bicycles,” accuses former environmentalist elected Myriam Cau.
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