Cycle paths around new stations on line 14 deemed insufficient

Two months after its inauguration, the extension of line 14, the first stage of the Grand Paris Express, is still struggling to accommodate two-wheelers in several of its new stations. IDFM assures that the developments are underway.

Inaugurated more than two months ago, the Hay-les-Roses station (Val-de-Marne) is still not the most welcoming for cyclists. Hoops are placed around the metro station but they are still insufficient in number.

“In Hay-les-Roses the facilities are pretty good but they are already all occupied. We will probably need two or three times as many,” notes Sylvie, a resident.

So much so that some residents are tackling the problem head on. “I called RATP to tell them that we would like to have hoops. They told me that they were going to install them,” Olivier, a resident of the town, confided to BFM Paris Ile-de-France.

Installations in progress

There are only about fifteen hoops for cyclists to park and then take line 14, but new ones are under construction. 52 hoops will be installed by the end of the week.

Laurent Le Bis, a member of the association “Mieux se déplacement à bicyclette Val de Bièvre à vélo”, wonders about the expected number. “For the moment, I don’t know of any station where it’s really easy. It’s really saturated. If we want to stop using cars, we need to be able to park our bikes safely in stations,” he says.

Same problem at the Hôpital Bicêtre station which should be equipped with a secure bicycle parking. In the meantime, street furniture serves as an attachment point.

The surroundings of the stations are not very accessible for cyclists

But what worries users and associations the most is the lack of cycle paths around stations. Some cyclists, for example, have to use a national road, which is far from being suitable and safe.

“Generally speaking, but also on line 14 which has just opened, bicycle accessibility is not up to the current mobility challenges in Ile-de-France. The development of these structuring routes which lead to the station is the big gap that we are identifying at the moment”, explains Marie Wehner, head of intermodality and advocacy.

She indicates that the development of a few kilometers around the stations can encourage users to go to the station by bike.

Contacted, Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) specifies that not all the developments have yet been put in place. Many projects are in progress and will be ready, according to them, by the end of the year.