Have you ever seen these apple green signs, along the road, in the Plaine d'Estrées? These are Rézo-Pouce terminals, which promote hitchhiking on a daily basis. Seventy-seven have been deployed since 2020 in the territory's 19 municipalities. In order to promote this mobility device arrived in the middle of Covid, the community of communes of the Plaine d'Estrées (CCPE) organizes this Saturday the first edition of the hitchhiking rally!
Twelve teams of two people will embark on a frantic race and travel the territory with a thumbs up to try to go as fast as possible. This demonstration, which looks like the "Beijing Express" show, wants to show that even if you do not have a driver's license, you can still move easily in rural areas.
"We waited between 2 and 5 minutes on average"
"We want to convince people to try. The territory is very extensive and when you do not have a permit or means of transport, it is not easy. Thanks to hitchhiking, you can meet nice people, run into a neighbor and make this hitchhiking turn into a carpool. Rézo-Pouce is made for short trips, between 5 and 10 km, details Inès Quenouillère, sustainable mobility project manager at the CCPE. It is intended for everyone, young and old. There is no need to register on any site or platform. We stop, as for the bus, with a destination card and wait for a car to stop. It is supportive and friendly. »
"It's working pretty well," says Marion Weber-Massenat, communications manager. We tested and even came across a CCPE alumnus. We waited between 2 and 5 minutes in general. There was only one stop where we had to wait 27 minutes, but we must admit that this stop is not very well placed... »
For those who are afraid of falling on a malicious driver, "know that we asked the gendarmerie. In ten years, there has never been a problem. In general, people who stop are naturally benevolent because they want to help, reassures Inès Quienouillère. But if a participant does not feel it, do not force yourself and wait for the next car. »
The first of the race will win a voucher of 300 euros, the second, 200 euros, the third, 100 euros. Everyone will walk away with a reward. The appointment is this Saturday at the headquarters of the CCPE at 13 pm for the briefing and animations. The departure is scheduled at 14 pm for an estimated journey between 2h30 and 3 hours.
Registration is open on the CCPE website until Thursday at 23:59 p.m.! Information at 03.44.41.31.43.