"It was about time," sighs a mother.
One year after the terrible traffic accident which cost the life of Sixtine, 11, run over by a heavy vehicle at the corner of rue La-Fontaine and rue George-Sand (Paris, XVIth), the work to secure the crossroads where the tragedy happened have finally started.
The drama took place on a Monday morning, around 8 a.m., while the girl was going to Notre-Dame-des-Oiseaux college.
The young schoolgirl who did this course daily was preparing to cross rue George-Sand on the protected passage while the light was green for pedestrians.
The driver of the 19-ton, who was arriving from rue Jean-de-La-Fontaine, perpendicular, also had the green light.
Forced to take a wide turn to enter rue George-Sand, he did not see the girl on this narrow and blind crossroads.
After emergency measures aimed at moving the pedestrian crossing on rue George-Sand by a few meters and creating signage to signal the presence of children, a larger project was initiated to secure this dangerous crossroads.
"The works consist in widening the sidewalks to reduce the speed of vehicles at the height of the pedestrian crossing where the Little Sixtine was killed and to improve visibility", specifies David Belliard, assistant (EELV) for the transformations of the public space at the Paris town hall.
The operation for an amount of 100,000 euros was launched on January 12 and is expected to end on March 13, 2021.
"Sixtine could have been my daughter"
The Sixtine tragedy aroused great emotion in the Auteuil district, and far beyond.
He made people aware of the urgency of securing accident-prone points, created by ill-conceived arrangements.
In the wake of the tragedy, several parents founded the Sixteen association (16, in English).
“Sixtine could have been my daughter, underlines Philippe Jean-Louis, the president.
There have already been four serious accidents at this intersection.
As a father, I thought to myself, what can we do?
".
A WhatsApp group is then launched.
Some parents offer to take turns to secure intersections around schools, with reflective vests.
“We were initially dissuaded, by explaining to us that we could not do that, that we needed training, etc.
However, nothing prevents a citizen from helping children to cross when there is not enough staff!
We felt that we were in the way… ”, he continues.
On the crossroads of the 16th arrondissement, the coordination of traffic lights, to prevent cars and pedestrians from going green at the same time, has still not been settled.
“Why not generalize the“ absolute red ”, as in Japan? Asks Philippe Jean-Louis.
This system prevents all traffic at a crossroads until pedestrians have passed.
All you have to do is reprogram the lights so that they last 5 or 10 seconds longer.
What are we waiting for ?
".
90 pedestrians killed and 3,800 injured each year in Île-de-France
The subject is hot.
The new mayor (LR) of the 16th century, Francis Szpiner, was not mistaken.
He has made road safety one of the priorities of his mandate.
An audit was launched to identify all accident-prone locations in the borough and negotiations have started with the Waze application so that school zones are notified to motorists at the entry and exit slots of schools.
Each year, around 90 pedestrians are killed and 3,800 injured in Ile-de-France.
They are the first victims of the road, with motorized two-wheelers.
The hardest hit are young people under 16 and people over 65.
The majority of accidents (80%) take place while crossing the road, and 50% on a pedestrian crossing.
And yet, "town halls always seem to wait for a dead person to wake up," annoys the president of Sixteen.
There is a feeling of inaction on the part of the public authorities… I have parents who call me from everywhere, even from Lisieux ”.
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Sixteen is emulating.
In Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), several moms and dads have joined and are trying to make things happen.
“We are a transit city.
There is no respect for pedestrian priority by motorists, even near schools!
», Denounces Frédéric Caroff, a father from Boulogne.
The association has listed accident-prone sites and proposed new traffic plans around schools.
"The town hall received and listened to us ... We are now waiting for concrete measures", hopes Frédéric Caroff.
"What do we say to our children?"
Same approach in Courbevoie (Hauts-de-Seine), where Isabelle Ozenne tries to alert the public authorities on social networks.
“I have two daughters aged 5 and 7 and the crossroads near their school is very dangerous.
Cars tumble down the hill, never stopping.
Where is the pedestrian's right?
What do we tell our children?
As a solution, we are offered a flashing radar with a 'smiley'… ”, she squeals.
However, according to accidentologist Jacques Robin, several simple fitting solutions could save dozens of lives per year:
A central refuge island.
This small edged space in the middle of the road prevents cars from overtaking, reduces speed and allows pedestrians to stop safely.
The stop line at 5 meters
.
A decree of December 2018 makes it possible to mark a line 2 to 5 meters upstream from a pedestrian crossing.
Tested in Rennes and Strasbourg, this system has the effect of keeping cars at a distance, which no longer bite on the pedestrian crossing.
The driver is liable to a fine of 35 euros in the event of non-compliance with this new signage.
Parking is prohibited nearby.
Since 2015, it is forbidden to park 5 meters from a pedestrian crossing… unless a space is marked on the ground.
“This exception is an illogical scandal!” Denounces Jacques Robin.
The legislator gave in to pressure from the mayors, who feared that this would remove too many parking spaces ”.
These neutralized spaces can accommodate bicycle hoops, but no flower boxes or barriers, which obstruct children's vision.
30 km / h and speed bumps
.
The “30 zones” help moderate speed.
But they are not always enough.
Speed bumps, made of cobblestones or bitumen, have proven their worth.
On the other hand, plastic “Berlin cushions” should be avoided, as they do not withstand time well and present a danger for two wheels.
Eliminate lights "at breast height".
The "repeater" lights are these lights located at the bottom of the pylon.
They only exist in France and have one big flaw: they encourage motorists to get too close to traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.
Jacques Robin suggests removing them, when possible.
"It will take time"
"We feel that everything is done to favor car traffic ... Even for Sixtine, it took a year for things to change", deplores Isabelle Ozenne, who points to "the lack of receptivity" of elected officials and technical services on this subject.
"It will still take time to reach the level of requirements of the Netherlands", country where road mortality is one of the lowest in the world.
But no question of being discouraged, proclaims Philippe Jean-Louis.
"This is what I say to elected officials who tell me that I am wasting my time: the only thing I have to lose in this fight is my daughter".