Six months since she no longer landed a Vélib '!
Hanna B., 26, has recently taken up cycling again, using Véligo (the region's VAE rental system) "more reliable and above all more secure".
But for the young student living in Créteil (Val-de-Marne), there is no longer any question of using the “public service” of self-service bicycle rental in the metropolis - to which she was nevertheless a long-time subscriber. - since a serious Vélib 'accident, undoubtedly linked to the poor state of maintenance of the two-wheeler.
It was Sunday, December 13, 2020, at the beginning of the afternoon, in the 12th arrondissement. Hanna, who “sails” between Créteil where she lives and studies, Maisons-Alfort where her parents live and Paris where she works, had taken an electric Vélib 'at the Montgallet-Reuilly station. “I have been using Vélib 'for a long time. I know that the bikes in the station are often damaged. So I did all the usage checks before leaving. Tires inflated, pedals and chains in place, brake handles apparently operational… Everything seemed to work ”, remembers the cyclist who had left for the rue de Reuilly, on a very slight slope.
Its race stopped less than 200 meters further. At the corner with Boulevard Diderot where the cyclist tried, unsuccessfully, to brake to avoid a car turning in front of her. Despite having two hands on the handles, the bike does not slow down. Hanna hits the back of the car, falls violently to the ground - a fall that will cause several fractures to her foot and shin, and even loses consciousness for a few seconds. “There were no more brakes,” she repeats over and over to the first witnesses who come to help her. "Defective brakes", noted in his report one of the Paris firefighters who intervened afterwards and to whom the cyclist carefully asked to go and check the bike.
Transported to Saint-Antoine hospital in Paris, then to Créteil and finally to a 15th century clinic, the young woman had alerted Vélib 'customer service, by SMS then by email, within hours of the accident.
She received a response ten days later to inform her that her mail (with medical certificate and attached police report) had been received, to assure her that a field team had gone to retrieve the bike in question for " isolate it, inspect it and, if necessary, repair it ”, and to inform him that the additional cost of the race (3 €) would not be invoiced to him!
Customer service radio silence
The email further specified that the elements were transmitted to the management for the follow-up to be given to the file. “Despite my repeated reminders afterwards, after this email, there was total radio silence at Vélib 'customer service,” notes Hanna, all the more annoyed as the consequences of her accident were particularly disabling. “I was arrested for 3 months. I was in a wheelchair for a while. In addition to my studies in philosophy, I worked as a florist in the markets. You have to be on your feet all the time. This is no longer possible. Six months after the accident, I still have pain. I am still being followed by an orthopedic doctor, a physiotherapist… ”
Tired of having only agreed answers from Vélib ', the young injured cyclist finally decided, a few weeks ago, to send her file to the prosecutor of Créteil (her home).
Objective: to file a complaint for "endangering the life of others", "physical and moral damage" against Smovengo, the Vélib'II operator who took over from JCDecaux in 2018. Coincidence?
The cyclist finally received, at the beginning of June, an email from Smovengo indicating that the file was transmitted to her insurer.
“But it's also a question of principle,” insists Hanna.
"Bike safety should be the top priority," insists the young woman.
500 defective bikes reported every day
“I won't let go. This complaint is a matter of principle, ”insists Hanna. "Bike safety should be the top priority," insists the young woman. "This is the case," he is answered indirectly on the side of Smovengo. While the self-service bicycle operator does not wish to comment on specific cases (elements being reserved where appropriate for investigation services), he acknowledges receiving many requests of the same type as Hanna's. "Whether there is an accident or not," said a spokesperson for the company.
The Vélib 'CGAU (General conditions of access and use) invite users to check the condition of the main components of the bike - attachment of the saddle, pedals, basket, operation of the bell, brakes, lighting - before leaving. "Except in cases of force majeure, the user is solely responsible for damage caused by the use of the bicycle", even stipulates article 10 of the regulations.
“We take all accident reports very seriously,” however specifies Smovengo, who recently improved its application to facilitate the procedure for reporting breakdowns. "As soon as a problem with the brakes is identified, the bike is blocked in the station by our control center, before being repaired in the workshop or in the field", indicates a manager, noting that the operator is currently receiving ... no less than 500 reports per day!
This impressive figure, however, only represents part of the enormous maintenance requirements for Vélib 'vehicles. With an average of 148,000 daily trips, overused two-wheelers (especially electric models) suffer and deteriorate quickly. The operator currently lists 700 repairs in the workshop and 300 in the field every day. Clearly, with 20,000 bikes in circulation, the entire fleet goes for repair every 3 weeks.