“We cannot say that the cyclists were forgotten: the project was originally designed for them. Along the way, they were rather deliberately thrown overboard”estimates Luc Leens, cyclist who initiated the velocipedic inauguration. “In our eyes, the results are practically zero, in all aspects. The famous multimodal station completely excluded one of the modes of transport.”
The Montois highlights the insecurity and regular bike thefts while it was decided to create only one secure parking lot on the side of the historic town (not yet operational), the removal of existing bike racks on the surface on Place Léopold, the narrowness of the elevators which do not allow you to take a bicycle with a trailer, the lack of security of road access on the Place Léopold side or the lack of signage or the absence of an explicit route from the Place Léopold Leopold Square.
Disillusioned cyclists prepare a happening at Mons station: “Nothing is planned, we have been forgotten”
“We often hear people tell us that we just have to push our bike. Which shows a lack of understanding, the bicycle was a means of transport that was used… by bicycle, not by hand .” The test was also carried out by a cyclist, who uses the so-called temporary footbridge on the one hand, and the new footbridge station on the other. The result is clear: by bike, the journey takes 1’52 while by bike, to respect the pedestrian areas on the quays, it takes 6’24.
Symbolic action
Nonsense in the eyes of many cyclists, for whom cycling is not a simple hobby but a daily mode of travel. “From this point of view, the station is a failure. Many countries, or simply the Flemish Region, consider that the bicycle plays an important role for mobility, health, the environment. For us, traveling by bicycle is impossible for lack of will.”
This January 26, to denounce these shortcomings and inconsistencies, a symbolic and humorous action will be carried out. “We are going to offer a cycle path to allow Elio Di Rupo to complete the grandiose work of the station. It could finally achieve the primary objective of this project: ensuring a cycle link between the historic town and the new town. It will also be baptized in his name.”
And added: “It is a tribute to the man who allowed cyclists to dream that they could cross the railway tracks by bike, in complete safety, and to the man who shattered this dream by opting for a station prohibiting bicycles. The track is planned “as a temporary surface, while waiting for its final location to be chosen.” Aware that the hope of being heard is slim, if not non-existent, the cyclists will nevertheless launch a referendum for the attention of the population.
-Three possible locations for a new “real” cycle-pedestrian connection
“Three possibilities exist. Some are easy to implement and cheap, others are more expensive, but they are all technically possible”assures Luc Leens. The first option, which is favored by the latter, remains the maintenance of the current footbridge. “It would be enough to modify the current slippery surface and ensure its maintenance, just like the station.”
Irregularities in the Mons station file: “Given the amounts involved, the minister must send the file to the courts”, believes a deputy
The second option mentioned consists of building a new footbridge, a little further on, to replace the temporary structure. The last, more expensive, concerns the underground passage of the old station, which could thus be put back into service. It would connect the two car parks and allow you to cross the tracks without taking an elevator or getting off your bike. An extension of a few meters would however be necessary, on the Grands Prés side.
“We do not want to be able to cross the station by bike: it was not designed for that. This is not a request that we are making. What we want is simply to be able to use our bike without systematically getting off it .” Luc Leens also recalls that the options mentioned would allow night owls to use the footbridge even once the station is closed.
“Let’s try not to make “a mistake from the past” today: we don’t want to hear officials tell us, in a few years, that it is unfortunate not to have included cyclists in the project, that these are errors from another time… Even though their attention has been drawn to the problem more than once!”
At a time when Mons is establishing itself as a tourist destination of choice, not allowing cyclists to travel there in complete safety appears, probably more than ever, to be absolute nonsense.
