“In Lyon, young people are in danger”
What do the families of Iris and Warren expect from justice?
Master Frederic Doyez “This tragedy has devastated both families. In the face of the ordeal, the mothers of Iris and Warren united in the line of what was the love of their two children. The families organized a white march, then the ceremony at the primatial Saint-Jean, which saw a thousand people come to support them. It is to say if this drama also traumatized the inhabitants of Lyon. The families must now put in place a common defense in the judicial investigation that begins.
Read also on Tribune de Lyon: Scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, cars… “Lyon has become a real urban jungle”
Their pain explained their refusal to speak out in the media. They were flabbergasted. The mothers still do not want to communicate, pending feedback from the surveys. The investigation begins. Their wish is to know the complete reality of the circumstances of the death of their two children, before projecting themselves into what they expect from justice. Families are in search of truth. And they really trust justice. They also know what they do not want: there is no question of asking for revenge or demanding the deprivation of freedom of a person in charge.
Families want to go longer?
Their misfortune can be the foundation of measures to be taken so that such a tragedy does not happen again. The families defend him, intensely. They are convinced that it is possible and essential to limit the risks that still exist. Today, we are in a city in full mutation of its modes of transport. With a legitimate desire to prepare for the future, to have concern for the environment, to prevent pollution. The implementation of this change has created a dangerous cohabitation between several modes of travel. Soft modes: two-wheelers, scooters, bicycles… Traditional modes, such as the car, utility vehicles.
Read also on Tribune de Lyon: Teenagers killed on scooters in Lyon: less than ten witnesses heard in the investigation
That we limit the use of the car in town is an excellent thing. But under the guise of promoting soft modes, competition is being provoked between users of the public space. “The way is free”, this slogan for pedestrianization operations has overtones of clearance. There would be those who are welcome, and those who are not. This could create hostile reactions from motorists. As a result, two worlds move in the same space, without being driven by the same values. What must be done so that the transition takes place under valid conditions? The families translate the question.
Have the current changes in modes of travel caused this tragedy?
The drama is directly linked to these new coexistences of modes of transport. We must never forget that the soft modes are vulnerable, without protection. On this quay where the tragedy took place, we have a space where buses, priority vehicles, bicycles, and scooters circulate which run more slowly, against any concern for safety.
Read also on Tribune de Lyon: The father of Iris, who died on a scooter, calls for traffic rules to be changed in Lyon
We pretend it’s not a problem, while this drama highlights the fact that we cannot combine what is not comparable. The desire to facilitate the movement of two-wheelers should not be done to the detriment of the safety that we owe to their users. Is vehicle speed a necessity? You have to make sure you can drive fast in a specific mission. We are endangering the youth of our city. We put in danger all those who imagine that the way is clear.
Do you want to research other possible criminal liabilities?
It is premature to seek this type of responsibility. We are at the stage of defining the responsibility of a driver. In relation to his conduct, to the exact goal he was pursuing, to the means he gave himself to respect a security which is imposed on him. We are not at the stage of seeking the criminal responsibility of the community. But we will broadcast a debate, and make this observation public: we are witnessing excesses on a daily basis.
Cars that are too fast, bikes that can’t stand the lights. Iris and Warren were on a dedicated lane. I saw that access to scooters is now prohibited for minors. It should not lead to think that these two children were responsible for anything because they were minors. We see more and more dangerous behaviors in this city, such as rodeos, speeding… What answers do we bring to this? We must question ourselves collectively. »
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