“There are more and more people cycling in Toulon”: this Var resident is fighting for cycling to develop in the city

The meeting is scheduled at the bicycle café that the Pharmacycles association opened last spring. On his saddlebag mount despite the polar cold, Cyrille Papon arrives right on time for the meeting.

For this former sailor, cycling in the city is not a problem, it is a solution.

You took over as president of Pharmacycles almost three years ago. For what?

I was already a member and I was looking to get involved in the association, to give time to others. It seems important to me to help your neighbor. We are not all at the same level of happiness.

Does happiness come through cycling?

Among others! For me, it's obvious. Since my arrival in Toulon twenty-five years ago, I have done it every day. Even if it wasn't always easy.

Did you scare yourself?

Almost twenty years ago, I already took my children to daycare with a trailer behind my bike. At the time, we didn't see many of them. I was something of a pioneer! And, no, I wasn't afraid. But in hindsight, it was probably a bit dangerous.

And today?

Things are getting better. Just look at the growing number of cargo bikes in the city. Generally speaking, there are more and more bicycles in Toulon. I find the change even more noticeable over the past year and a half, even if the figures for the share of soft modes in travel are still below what exists elsewhere. Self-driving (the fact of traveling alone in your car, editor's note.) remains too important.

Do you think the public authorities have made efforts?

Yes. There are new cycle lanes, new paths… Mayor Josée Massi has installed a Mister Bike. She organizes one meeting per year with the associations. This is obviously all going in the right direction.

We were used to a more virulent discourse from pro-cycling associations. Aren't you afraid of serving as a guarantor for the City with this type of comment?

This is not a fool's game. We know that as the elections approach, we are going to be caressed in the right direction. But we also know that we can take advantage of the calendar to air our grievances and pass on ideas. And they know we know!

How do you view more militant collectives, such as Critical Mass?

It's good that they are here! It takes hairs to itch for a democracy to be fair and balanced. They also get things done. We pursue the same goal but we operate a little differently. Pharmacles is more about providing services to the population.

What types of services?

The same as those carried out by our predecessors since the creation of Pharmacycles in 2010, starting with the participatory and supportive workshop. We also bought a cargo bike to relocate our activities from time to time, reaching a more disadvantaged audience. We do a bit of events at the bike café, we created an Alleycat (a bike trail game). And we have other plans.

What are these projects?

We would like to relaunch an amateur cycling race on the Faron, even if the form remains to be determined. In relay? By climbing the mountain several times? The idea is for it to be festive and for the general public.

There, we are no longer in cycling as a daily mode of transport…

No, but it doesn't matter. With Pharmacycles and the “Souriez, vous pedal” association, we also promote cycle tourism and cycle tourism.

Are you a fan of cycling trips yourself?

Quite. When I was twelve or thirteen years old, I went with my father and my grandfather on trips of 400 miles. When I was sixteen, I took a mini-tour of Europe. There, I really caught the virus. In 2018, I spent fourteen weeks in the Alps. An incredible memory. And this winter, I joined my brother in Brittany for nine days and 1,300 kilometers. These are strong moments when you are no longer pedaling alone…

Let's return to the streets of Toulon. If there was a priority regarding cycling in the city, what do you think it would be?

We need to think differently about infrastructure. Before creating a cycle lane or path, let's first ask ourselves the question of whether we will be able to send our ten or twelve year old child to cycle on it independently.

Letting your ten-year-old child ride a bike alone in town, you have to be a little unconscious, right?

That's the problem. Why wouldn't that be possible? Why couldn't a kid cycle to school safely? Certainly there is a desire to do things well, but we are starting from afar. However, if we want France to become cycle-friendly, we must start with children. I remember that my grandfather, at the time, made most of his trips by bicycle.

And then the car took up space…

A huge place! And the worst part is that it continues. We are doing colossal work to widen the highway even though we know that cars will not be a priority in ten or twenty years. It is ecologically essential to start thinking differently.

Local favorites and little secrets

Where do you take someone who is coming to us for the first time?

At the top of Mount Faron. If the person is sporty, we go there by bike. Otherwise on foot. I live in the city somewhat out of obligation and I need this regular contact with nature.

With a magic wand, what would you change in the region?

I would move the Toulon mountains 3 to 4 km inland, precisely. That would solve a lot of problems. The real estate pressure, the possibility of building and renovating differently, of carrying out eco-construction projects but also the fact that politicians could no longer hide behind the narrowness of the city so as not to build a tramway.

What do you miss when you're not in the area?

The smell of scrubland, and more particularly of thyme which I appreciate for its virtues.

If you had to live in another region, which would you choose?

Northern Finistère, where part of my family is based.

It stays between us

What puts you in a good mood in the morning?

Get up, be healthy, know that a new day awaits me!

And in a bad mood?

The irresponsibility of our politicians, who sometimes put their personal interests before the general interest.