It is 4.30 p.m., the bell rings. The children go out screaming in the rue Le Vau, in the XXth arrondissement of Paris. Alexandra Bonnel has frequented these grids for years. One of his sons is enrolled in the green primary school at number 10, two of his daughters study at the Pierre-Mendès-France college at number 24.
This road wedged between the ring road and the boulevard des Maréchaux shelters two nursery schools, two elementary schools, a college, that is to say a thousand pupils in all: “And the courses of recreation give all on the periphery. So for almost fifteen years, our children swallow pollution in high doses, ”she sighs. On the ring road, average nitrogen dioxide levels reach a level twice as high as the annual limit value according to Airparif, the organization that measures pollution in Ile-de-France. So Elsa, one of Alexandra's daughters, was denied recreation the whole time of her elementary schooling because she is asthmatic. In college, she has the right to go out, "but we don't know which is better," slips her mother in a breath.
These establishments in a row are on the map - which we reveal - established by the Respire association of schools, the surroundings of which should be pedestrianized to reduce children's exposure to pollution and improve safety. “In Paris, we arrive at 100 schools and again this survey is far from complete, certain districts are very well informed, others less. We were able to compile this statement thanks to the voluntary participation of parents, the challenge is to create a citizen debate on this subject ”, explains Olivier Blond, president of Respire. The association's website should serve as a platform to collect new testimonies.
Rue le Vau, the parents have proposals: “We can very well imagine positioning the courtyard in front of establishments which would thus block pollution! For that, we could recover a few square meters on the street, which is very dangerous today, ”insists Alexandra Chebout, FCPE representative (Federation of parents' councils).
"An incredible blooper of facilities"
"During the census, we came across an incredible blooper of facilities," says Olivier Blond. Thus in the 20th century, in front of the École des Amandiers, the narrowness of the sidewalk reached records with electoral signs: it was impossible to pass a stroller or a wheelchair. At the Wattignies school (12th), a scooter parking lot has been installed in front of the school. "Hyper-polluting, hyper-noisy, scooters with their potty at child height are real dangers", alarms the town planner Frédéric Leonhardt.
In Lyon (Rhône), the parents of the Michel-Servet primary school, one of the most polluted schools in France, have been asking for improvements for years. The little Lyonnais undergo there the emanations of the 40,000 vehicles of the Croix-Rousse tunnel which opens in front of the entrance, to which are added more to the 30,000 coming from the north-south axis. “Until the municipal campaign, nothing was planned. Oddly, now, some are proposing to extend the tunnel to the Rhône so that pollution does not land on the school, or to move into a historic building called the Condition des soies, but which already houses the municipal library. "Quips Renaud Pierre, father of a CE1 student, who does not believe in these campaign promises.
A forecourt for each school
However, protecting children would not necessarily be complicated. The Covid-19 crisis made it possible to quickly change the face of our streets, "tactical town planning" demonstrated that we could act quickly, even if it meant adjusting the situation afterwards.
“Helping bikes and cafes is good. Helping our children is better! Insists Frédéric Leonhardt. Since the epidemic, space has been taken up on the roads to make cycle paths or enlarge terraces, previously, it was done to accommodate bikes or shared cars. The Respire association demands that a forecourt be created for each school, with a sufficient width, according to local constraints, and which would exclude all parking of cars or two-wheeled motorized vehicles.
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"Certain very simple arrangements can be put in place as of the start of the new school year in September, such as the elimination of parking lots to take up space," insists Olivier Blond. Then, in the long term, a local committee can study the most important transformations.
“Parents must imperatively make their voices heard on the way to school, insists his side, the expert Frédéric Leonhardt. Otherwise, the roads take care of the roads, the school takes care of the school and nothing happens. "