in Toulouse, “some cyclists are afraid” according to Florent Collin of the Maison du vélo
A 20-year-old woman will be tried September 28 to have run over a cyclist this Monday Cépière district in Toulouse. She was placed under judicial supervision with a driving ban and faces up to three years in prison. The driver was parked on a bike path on Monday at the end of the day. The cyclist pointed out to him. And she chased him, hit him with her car and knocked him down. The cyclist ended up in the hospital injured in the arm and shoulder. Appraisal: six days of ITT.
No increase in violence according to the police
The police do not notice an increase in violence between motorists and cyclists. But road safety in Haute-Garonne is very vigilant, even more so with the arrival of fine weather and people taking out their bikes and other scooters. Commander Jean-Christophe Billard. “At this stage, we do not have this feeling of rising aggression. On the other hand, obviously, there are plenty of people who use personal means of transport and who do not know the rules. People are on a bike and think they can make a phone call. It’s just not allowed. It’s obvious that the responsibilities, in my view, are shared. There are also cyclists and users of personal mobility devices who do not anything. A lot because of ignorance of the regulations.”
Some cyclists may back up and drop the bike because they are afraid to ride in town.
The fact remains that some cyclists are afraid to ride in the city center. Florent Collin is educator mobility at the Maison du vélo in Toulouse. “Knowingly knocking over a cyclist on the roadway is shocking. The motorist does not realize the fragility of the user on the road, the user on a bicycle, the user on foot, and is often exasperated by the behavior also of certain cyclists or certain pedestrians. This is where we intervene, on our outings, on circular knowledge in the city or we will show people how to have the right reflex to stay safe. Because that can also cause stress to some cyclists who are not too used to it and who may also back up and drop the bike because they are afraid to ride in town.”
To prevent accidents, the association La Maison du vélo in Toulouse gives driving lessons in town with guided tours of around one hour in the center of Toulouse. It also organizes on May 9 an afterwork to learn how to ride in town by bike.