Two-thirds of the 30 million bikes owned by the French take dust. To get them out of the cellar or the garage, the government will offer a "repair check" of 50 euros. “It is a boost to the bike during the deconfinement period to encourage us to choose this mode of travel. We want this period to take a step forward in cycling culture, and that the bicycle is the little queen of deconfinement in a way ”, explains the Minister of Ecological Transition, Elisabeth Borne, who carries the plan to facilitate the practice of cycling .
In total, 20 million euros are released by his ministry to cover repairs, temporary parking spaces and training.
Regarding the repair check, no sheet of paper is to be printed, it will suffice to go to a repairer referenced to repair his bike without paying anything if the repair costs less than 50 euros. And pay the rest, if the bill is more salty. The repairer will then be reimbursed by the State. Of course, depending on the condition of the bikes, prices vary widely. But a 50 euro note already represents a significant boost. To change the skates, count 15 euros. For a chain, it usually takes around twenty euros. If it is the entire transmission that must be replaced, we quickly arrive at 50 euros.
Professionals ready to take the second
More than 3000 professionals or associations will thus be gradually listed on a platform put online in the coming days. “We identify and record all these actors in a week or so, it's a real sprint! "Laughs Olivier Schneider, the president of the Federation of bicycle users (FUB) whose association pilots the platform. If bicycle repairers are one of the priority businesses, many are now closed and could reopen before May 11.
“Of course, the bicycle will not be able to replace everything, but it allows construction to respect safety gestures. And it can be a real transport solution when 60% of journeys made in France in normal times are less than 5 km ”, insists Elisabeth Borne.
This plan is part of a more general movement. Bogota, Berlin, New York, are developing temporary bicycle paths. In France too, local authorities did not wait to encourage the use of bicycles, while during the Covid-19 period the idea of promiscuity on buses, trams and other metros frightened many users.
In Montpellier and Bordeaux, temporary cycle paths
In Ile-de-France, the region's president, Valérie Pécresse, works in particular with the RER-vélo, a collective of associations which has imagined nine cycle routes from Paris to Mantes-la-Jolie or Melun. Montpellier (Hérault) and Bordeaux (Gironde) are also inaugurating temporary cycle paths. In Nice, the mayor has planned to close part of the streets of his city to car traffic to reserve it for bikes and pedestrians. "We have witnessed a number of elected officials' flip-flops on this issue, it's very positive! Insists Olivier Schneider.
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VIDEO. Why are “coronavirus” cycle paths multiplying in the world?
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