BICLOU, EPISODE 21 - A cluster of walkers advances timidly on the zebra crossing which connects the Forum des Halles and the Center Pompidou, on Boulevard Sébastopol.
Suddenly, a woman in pink comes tumbling down, pressing the pedals of her Vélib ', determined to pass at all costs, shouting "sorry!"
»To better slip between the pedestrians, while the light is red.
Pointing to the pedestrian signal, a passer-by, who is almost jostled, calls out to the cyclist: "We are green c ****!"
".
Atmosphere.
Find a new episode of our Biclou series every week on the Parisian's Facebook page.
"They tire us cyclists"
In Paris, these altercations are linked every day at rush hour on the axes very frequented by cyclists, such as the rue de Rivoli or the boulevard Sébastopol, where up to 18,000 cyclists pass per day.
“It's calamitous, since we can't get through and we can get run over.
They don't respect anything in fact, ”laments Eliott, satchel on his back.
This CM2 student also experienced a rough crossing on Boulevard de Sébastopol.
“I come from the countryside and it's pretty tough here.
It's not reassuring to cross there ”, adds Anita, her grandmother.
Pedestrians are not the only ones to denounce these cycling pranks: “They tire us cyclists.
They overflow everywhere, from right to left.
You have to be ten times more vigilant ", worries Tony, delivery driver, busy scanning a stack of boxes," It could end badly one day.
Since we are driving in a truck, we cannot see what is happening in blind spots ”.
“Knocking down a cyclist, I'm really afraid of that,” laments Jean-Pierre, also a delivery man.
+ 180% of offenses detected by the police
Since deconfinement, cycling has jumped by 60%.
Cyclists are more visible, as are some of their most common fetish offenses: burned red lights, full speed detours on the sidewalk, ignored crosswalks or portable on the handlebars.
Deviations from the law punishable by fines of 11 to 135 €, without deduction of points on the driving license.
Police operations are increasing to punish these misconduct: "Currently it is a priority for the prefect of police to intensify checks on the capital", points out Captain Marc, head of the 2nd traffic company of the prefecture of Paris police.
And the PV fuse on bike paths, especially for wearing headphones on the handlebars.
"There is a fairly significant increase in the offenses observed, which are approximately of the order of 180%", details the police officer.
Newsletter - Most of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
Road Safety has just launched a major prevention campaign to try to stem the increase in accident figures for cyclists.
Across France, the number of cycling accidents rose by 60% in July and August compared to 2019, even if this increase cannot be decorrelated from the arrival of many new cyclists on bitumen.
"Cyclists do not commit more offenses than others"
Olivier Schneider, president of the French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB), deplores the harmful consequences of the behavior of "some illuminated" quick to chain incivilities "to gain a few seconds" of travel.
“I send them a message of responsibility.
[…] Respect pedestrians and obey the rules as soon as possible ”.
But no recent large-scale study can accurately assess the extent of bicycle offenses.
“Cyclists don't do more offenses than others.
They make them different ", nuance Olivier Schneider, and he specifies" certain behaviors are interpreted as infringers whereas they are authorized by common sense and the Highway Code ".
A Highway Code already adapted to cyclists
This fervent promoter of the bicycle regrets a lack of pedagogy as for certain rules of the Code relaxed for the bicycles: "The streets in the prohibited direction are generally authorized in the two directions for the cyclists".
Many red lights can also be passed as give way as soon as a triangular M12 sign is affixed at the intersection and there is no one in front.
Moreover, without a sign, certain intersections are so dangerous that certain cyclists may have to slip through them without regard to the priority rules: "The fact of not looking stupidly at just the color of a light, but observing the traffic, often, in fact, is saving ”, explains Olivier Schneider.
The association calls for streets better suited to cyclists to put an end to these daily tensions: “We must design infrastructures where there will be as little waiting as possible and as few detours as possible.
And there, I guarantee you that relations with pedestrians or motorists, or even between cyclists, will improve ”.
Watch the other episodes of the Biclou series