“The resistance starts now!
It is an anti-social measure!
“The representatives of the French Federation of Angry Bikers (FFMC) in Paris shout into the microphone.
Facing them, around a thousand motorcyclists gathered behind the Hôtel de Ville to protest against the application of paid parking for motorized two-wheelers in Paris.
Since September 1, thermal motorbike drivers have to pay two or three euros per hour, depending on the district, to park in the capital.
Electric motorcycles, on the other hand, are exempt from this flat rate.
The aim is for the city to “encourage users of petrol two-wheelers to use less polluting forms of transport.
Less pollution in the air, less noise, it's better for our health, ”explained David Belliard, deputy mayor in charge of mobility, in our columns.
"The electricity supply is not there"
An ecological measure therefore, but the argument does not pass.
Bikers accuse the city of "putting the cart before the horse".
“We are not there at the level of the electric offer, complains a framework who wished to remain anonymous.
The only viable model is a BMW that costs around 15,000 euros, I can't afford that.
And the autonomy of the vehicles is not the same as thermal motorcycles?
Where do we top it up?
Are there enough terminals in Paris?
Everything was done too abruptly.
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And on the question of ecology, several bikers recall polluting less than a car: “I take 15 minutes to cross Paris, explains Issa, a tourism executive.
By car, it would take me more than an hour.
Not only do I consume less, but I also don't congest traffic in Paris.
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The suburb set aside
In this case, what about public transport as an alternative?
“That's not it either, replies Jean-Claude, a financial adviser who lives in the 17th arrondissement.
When they are sufficiently developed in the large crown, we can talk about them again.
To work, I can have a client meeting in the morning in Rambouillet (Yvelines) and in the afternoon in Marne-la-Vallée (Seine-et-Marne).
Without my motorbike, I can't do this trip.
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An observation shared by Antoine Wandel, deputy secretary of the FFMC Paris: “In the catering trades, for example, the service is finished very late.
Do you see a cook prefer the Noctilien to get home at 3 am, whereas on a motorbike it takes 20 minutes?
He pays for parking all day in the capital while he keeps the economy running.
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Read alsoPaid parking for two-wheelers in Paris: how to reduce (a little) the bill
Because what is pointed out by the demonstrators is also "inequality" for workers living in the suburbs.
They cannot pay for the resident package available to Parisians, and the private parking subscription alternatives are too expensive for them at the moment.
In the middle of backfiring motorcyclists, rebellious music is heard: "We are not going to pay, you have to be creative and find ideas to avoid paying..."
Next meeting on September 26 between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., rue de Lobau.