Pedestrians lying on the road in Montpellier to “alert” after the death of a septuagenarian woman hit by a car

23 pedestrians and cyclists lying down on Avenue François Delmas in Montpellier. The image is striking and makes you aware of the road damage: this is the number of pedestrians killed in five years in Montpellier. In total, around fifty people gathered this Saturday noon on this pedestrian crossing at the exit of Castelnau-le-Lez, where a 74-year-old woman was fatally struck by a car in early December, while crossing with her 9-year-old grandson.

“We called them protected passages at one time, they should become ‘protected’ again!”points out Dominique Ripert, the president of the Montpellier à pied association, who called for this gathering with Vélocité and the League against road violence. The associations also point out that 42% of pedestrian accidents take place on pedestrian crossings.

More controls and better arrangements

All pedestrians and cyclists present call on motorists to “more empathy”, “more calm” and “less aggressiveness”. They denounce in particular the untimely honking of horns and even the insults thrown out of the window. But they also appeal to the public authorities. “We need to rethink road developmentargues Dominique Ripert. That cycle paths stop constantly crossing roads, that pedestrian crossings be systematically protected by speed bumps.”

The associations are also waiting more checks by law enforcementand therefore sanctions against reckless drivers. While taking care not to put everyone in the same basket: “Studies say that around 15% of motorists are dangerous, no more! They are the ones who must be targeted!”