“Sometimes, when a bike and a car pass each other, you have to squeeze your butt…”: what about the relationship between cyclists and motorists?

Louis Aït Mouhoub has been, for three years, the president of the “Partageons la route en Cévennes” association, created in 2009. He has five decades of Cycling under his belt. Meeting to focus on the news of soft mobility.

What is Operation “Don’t Be the One You Haven’t Seen”?

which begins this Monday, November 4, in the heart of Alès, in the Gard, is it important?

We are organizing it for the fifth time. Statistics have shown, for several years, that with the transition to winter time, it is between November and December that bicycle, pedestrian and scooter accidents increase. This is due to the lack of visibility. After the Covid health crisis, there was an expansion of utility cycling (to get to the workplace, for example, Editor's note) but also leisure cycling, driven by the arrival of electrically assisted bicycles. And for two or three years, we have noticed that some people, more financially constrained than others, have had to travel with old bikes taken out of their garages, without suitable lighting. They think that in the city, with the street lights, they are visible, but that is not true. Lighting in built-up areas is not optimal; it is a little subdued. Last year, during our operation which lasted three days, we noted between 180 and 200 crossings, completely mixed up between bikes and scooters.

In large cities, relations between cyclists and motorists are strained. What about Alès?

I would say that there is a common denominator which is the car. It is always the car which is in conflict with a bicycle, a pedestrian or a truck. In Alès, since the association was created, there has been more attention paid to gentle modes of transportation. And so far, we haven't had too much feedback on this subject. Of course, there is always the conflict of use, like everywhere. But the association took the initiative to “boost” elected officials so that they could carry out cycling arrangements. In the city, there are no less than 40 kilometers, even if everything is not perfect. There are also three black spots, relating to the land issue: the Gibertine roundabout, the crossroads between the Resca bridge and the Boissier-de-Sauvages quay, and the crossing of the La Royale footbridge. . But the adjustments made mean that relations are healthy in Alès. Developments such as that of the greenway which connects the mechanical center to La Luquette, which is a real backbone in the city; people have appropriated it and this helps ensure that there is no conflict…

And the scooters?

It's always the same. The legislator waits until there is a conflict of use before legislating. So, 99% are not insured. Otherwise, the behavior of users is identical to that of the bicycle: there are 30% who do anything and which tarnishes the reputation of the 70% who are respectful of others.

We talk about Alès, but how does it work on the Cévennes roads?

For leisure cycling, for strolling, there is no conflict of use. In fact, I realize that the car, which has grown and grown, is no longer suitable for the small roads of the Cévennes. Sometimes, when a car and a bike pass each other, you have to hold your buttocks together… Personally, I don't feel any more insecure on the Bagnols road than when I climb in Saint-Martin-de-Boudaux. Cyclists must not do anything. But, as a general rule, motorists behave well. What sometimes generates conflicts is that many drivers, who have had their licenses for at least thirty years, do not know the rules of traffic with bicycles. Today, everyone adapts the Highway Code to their own practice, that's all.

Do driving schools and educational establishments have a role to play?

Schools and driving schools normally do it! It is especially on infrastructure that we must place emphasis…

In terms of infrastructure, what should we do then?

The projects have to come out. But it's long! Between technical studies and what follows, it takes ten years. For example, we are awaiting the cycle development between Saint-Julien-les-Rosiers and Alès, via Saint-Martin-de-Valgégales. You know, the communities would also like us to shorten the deadlines…

When it comes to soft mobility, are we better off in Alès than elsewhere?