“This is the first time that Toulouse has such a budget for cycling” (Maxime Boyer)
The Federation of Bicycle Usersnational association spear son third barometer of cycling towns. In the last one, Toulouse was ranked 8th out of the 11 main cities in France in terms of cyclist satisfaction. But the debate has since evolved. You have to face an unprecedented increase in the number of two-wheelers and other scooters in town linked to the health crisis. And then we have to organize cohabitation with cars, and pedestrians. On the account 1350 kms of cycle paths in Toulouse. Jean-Luc Moudenc promises to increase the means given to cycling. The new mayor-delegate on the subject, Maxime Boyer, spoke for the first time this Wednesday on France Bleu Occitanie.
FBO: We interviewed cyclists in Toulouse and once again, they tell us that it is difficult to find continuous trails throughout the city. What do you answer?
Maxime Boyer: That Jean-Luc Moudenc wanted to personally initiate an ambitious cycling policy that will necessarily go through two pillars. On the one hand, it is a duty to be bold. And then a demand for reason. An innovative municipality in this area, but also protective, protective of those who are the most vulnerable, the most vulnerable users of the public domain. This is why we have decided to invest heavily. I would say several million euros for the creation of new cycle infrastructures, to fight against cycle discontinuities, to maintain the existing one, but also to create new infrastructures in all the districts of Toulouse. In the city center, but also in all Toulouse districts outside the city center.
FBO: Are you talking about security? Cyclists we interviewed say that living with pedestrians is complicated. Concretely, how are you going to do this?
Maxime Boyer: It’s a reality. We must be aware of this. And this is why we try to work to take charge of all the players, all the users, in particular by working on the street code which can make it possible to remind the good rules to be respected, that the cyclist that it does not have priority over the pedestrian, so that the pedestrian is more attentive and less distracted, perhaps in meeting areas when moving in relation to cyclists. And of course, that vehicle drivers can be very careful with cyclists and pedestrians. Roughly speaking, we are trying to ensure that both manage to coexist in the public domain while respecting each other. This is why we are talking about the street code, but also we want to make substantial rearrangements, precisely.
FBO: So that cycle paths are continuous throughout the city. Are you going to take parking spaces? Are you going to take space from the cars?
Maxime Boyer: We will adapt according to the particularities of the neighborhoods. We have neighborhoods that are more suitable, more structuring axes on which, in fact, we can facilitate the parking of vehicles, revegetation, the passage of vehicles also, the creation of clearly defined cycle paths. And then there are other neighborhoods, other sectors in which we know that we will have to make some concessions in favor, of course, of cycling and perhaps a little to the detriment of parking. But we have devices and tools that make it possible to support these changes in neighborhoods, such as resident parking lots in particular, then public transport which comes in intermodality also makes it possible to complete the range of options and alternatives that are available. offered to our fellow citizens.
FBO: Rue de Metz will become entirely pedestrianized. Are you going to create a real cycle path on rue de Metz?
Maxime Boyer: It is a clear desire of Jean-Luc Moudenc to ensure that on this axis between François Verdier and Esquirol, we detect a cycle path different from the roadway, therefore outside the roadway, by marking on the road. the ground well defined, clearly visible and very clear, but also outside the sidewalks, a bit like what was done in the rue des Lois. In any case, it is a will of the mayor of Toulouse to ensure that pedestrians are attentive to cyclists and that the cyclist pedestrians a little to avoid what happened on rue Alsace-Lorraine, because we know that was a subject. And so, the idea is to be able to improve this public space.
FBO: There are cars parked on the bike paths. Why don’t you verbalize, especially with City cameras?
Maxime Boyer: Yes, on verbalizing. There are a number of municipal officers and municipal police officers who are present in the neighborhoods. But it’s a long job, it’s good citizenship. We have to verbalize, we have to do prevention, but there is a lot of work being done in this area. Verbalization with cameras has been tested in the hypercentre. But we can also speak, for example, of street furniture which is added to horizontal and vertical signage. We have a range of tools that are at our disposal and that must be addressed, and this is what we intend to do through our cycling policy that I think is daring because we must see that this will be the first time that the town of Toulouse has a budget such as for cycle paths in the history of the city of Toulouse.
FBO: Toulouse is ranked 8th city out of 11 for the place of cycling in the latest barometer of the FUB. We will succeed in climbing to what place in the ranking by the end of Jean-Luc Moudenc’s term of office?
Maxime Boyer: But we will do everything to be the best. I can’t tell you more at the metropolitan level. Our budget of 80 million euros at city level per year, it will be 10 million euros for the maintenance and development of cycle paths. It is tens of millions of euros that will be invested. So, we will do everything to be the best and progress, it’s a bit of a collective approach, I mean, it’s a bit in the direction of our rugby culture.