Does this new cycle path along the Canal du Midi in Toulouse make everyone happy?

Toulouse is in the midst of experimentation. After the installation, then the removal of a first cycle lane at the port of l'Embouchure last summer, it is now the test of a transitional cycle path boulevard des Minimes, in place of a traffic lane for carswhich the town hall has been trying since the beginning of January.

Secure travel

Along the Canal du Midi, the tensions between pedestrians and cyclists were palpable until then. The reason: a single lane for cyclists and pedestrians on the banks, where everyone met over several hundred meters.

SO, “ to secure pedestrian movements along the Canal du Midi and accompany the strong development of cyclingwe are developing this transitional cycle path on Boulevard des Minimes. It will be one-way and will be installed on the roadway in place of one of the traffic lanes,” explained Toulouse Métropole in a press release in mid-December.

This is how at the beginning of 2025, a brand new cycle path saw the light of day, separated from the road by concrete blocks.

A new path not so taken

So a few weeks after its implementation, what is the situation? Walking along the banks of the canal, now supposed to be pedestrianized… the bikes are still there, fueling the annoyance of certain pedestrians. Despite the opening of the cycle path, few use it.

In reality, she was only partially accessible until Friday January 17. Access points were built at the start and end of the track, concrete blocks separating the road were installed and cyclist logos were painted on the ground. But the track was cut at the Passerelle, Raisin and Boulevard des Minimes bus stops.

The latter were raised on platforms resembling a checkerboard, and framed by barriers and orange blocks. A situation forcing cyclists to return to the lane shared with pedestrians and requiring them to climb the curb.

End of work on January 17

Contacted by Toulouse NewsMaxime Boyer, deputy mayor, tells us: “This track will be fully usable from January 17, 2025. Some work still needed to be carried out, but from this date, there will be linear continuity of the track. Obviously, cyclists will have to give priority to pedestrians when there are buses.”

The track has actually been continuous since January 17. And “cyclists on land” signs have been installed at elevated bus stops.

Rush hour panic

Arrived 5 p.m., traffic starts to get denser. Boulevard des Minimes is known for its traffic jams, in particular because of the numerous traffic lights, some of which are radars. The closer you get to the intersection of Boulevard des Minimes, Avenue de Lyon and the Matabiau Bridge, the worse it gets.

So removing a traffic lane for a cycle path poses some problems… cars pile up quickly. Between the honking of horns, the cars cutting off the path of others, and the motorists who are losing patience, the boulevard is quite dangerous.

“It’s an axis that has always been widely used. Traffic jams existed long before we experienced this track. Now, it is up to us to analyze behavior, to see how we can improve things to prioritize the safety of pedestrians and cyclists as much as possible,” adds the deputy mayor.

A reassuring path

Faced with the danger of the road, the track separated by concrete blocks looks reassuring for cyclists, as told by some of them encountered at the traffic lights at the intersection of the Matabiau bridge and the boulevard during rush hour: “Before, I rode on the road and the bus lane to avoid pedestrians along the banks, but it was quite dangerous,” explains Emma who takes this path every day with her daughter in a child carrier.

“We feel safe on the other side of the concrete blocks”

Reduce traffic along the canal

If the track is currently in simple experimentation, it could well become permanent and initiate big changes for the length of the canal.

“Ultimately, our goal is to makea two-way cycle laneso that no more bikes roll on the banks of the canal. It will then be necessary to install traffic lights for bicycles, particularly at intersections with streets leading onto the boulevard,” adds Maxime Boyer.

This track therefore seems to initiate other changes for the edge of the canal. Remember that a few months ago, the mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc, announced that he wanted to “reduce the automobile footprint around the Canal du Midi by 50%”.

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