Traders on the Lyon Presqu’île closed shop this Wednesday, June 26, for half an hour, to denounce the development project for the Presqu’île which provides for the pedestrianization of many streets.
Traders strongly opposed to the urban redevelopment project of the Presqu’île symbolically lowered the curtain this Wednesday, June 26, on the first day of the sales. For around thirty minutes, several shops closed rue de Brest, rue Grenette, rue Émile Zola and even in the 6th arrondissement.
“-70%: this is not the amount of the sales, it is that of the drop in attendance at your independent businesses since the Lyon closure plan”, we can read on the posters of the collective of defenders of Lyon stuck on the windows.
“30 minutes of closure is not nothing, it has an impact on turnover or our image with customers but too much is too much”, explains to BFM Lyon Denis, who manages the “Pas” store. spring for Marnie”, located rue Fasparin.
“There are fewer customers from the outskirts. When we are lucky enough to have an exceptional city, both in terms of culture and culinary pleasures, we cannot afford to close Lyon,” adds- he, accusing Grégory Doucet of “leading a cockfight without ever interacting with traders”. And added: “He should have more humility.”
A contested pedestrianization
The dispute concerns the “Presqu’île à vivre” project, supported by the metropolis and the town hall of Lyon. It consists of establishing a limited traffic zone with pedestrianization of around fifteen streets by 2025.
“The sidewalks in the area are narrow, generating overflows onto the roads and conflicts of use are frequent with motorized vehicles and between different modes of travel more broadly. The majority of trips on the Presqu’île are however made by transport in common or on foot”, explains the town hall.
Opponents refuse the total closure of access to cars and professional vehicles. Since June 17, a new consultation has been launched (from June 16 to September 30) to define the rules for the limited traffic zone.
Marianne Rey with Florent Bascoul
