In Lyon, the bicycle is making its way into the urban landscape

From the forecourt of Part-Dieu station, a spiral ramp leads to a two-level parking lot, secured by gantries and video surveillance cameras. But there are no cars here: the 1.500 spaces are reserved for two-wheelers, in all their forms.

Lyon is one of the pioneering cities for the development of cycling: in 2005, it was the first to launch a self-service offer (98.000 Vélo'V subscribers today) under the leadership of the former mayor and president of the metropolis Gérard Collomb.

But the trend has accelerated with the mandate of the environmentalists, elected in 2020. Good for health, fast, non-polluting, and cheap, boasts Bruno Bernard, the president of the metropolis.

Their major "Voies lyonnaises" project, 13 bicycle "highways" for a 350 km network in 49 municipalities by 2030, is progressing: 180 to 200 km will be completed before the end of the mandate, he promises.

And the people of Lyon are making use of it: in March and April, "bicycle records" were broken one after the other, according to the local authority, with up to 21.000 cyclists recorded in one day on the large cycle path along the banks of the Rhône.

Pedestrians have also benefited, explains Pierre Rauzada, president of a Rhône-based association that defends their rights. "The more (cyclists) are on the road, the less they will be on the sidewalk."

"Detours and traffic jams"

But motorists don't always see it that way: reduced lanes and parking spaces for cars, and roadworks resulting in traffic jams, have recently sparked protests in western Lyon.

For Mélodie Cros Ferreol, co-president of the association La Ville à Vélo, the situation is calming down as projects develop, even if for some elected officials the bicycle has become a "symbol" of opposition to environmentalists.

Former OL boss Jean-Michel Aulas, who is considering running for mayor, has been criticizing the redevelopment and works launched by the Greens on social media for several weeks.

"Building cycle paths is a logical urban policy today," admits Pierre Oliver, the LR mayor of Lyon's 2nd arrondissement, who is also running for mayor. The challenge, he says, is finding the right balance.

"There are people who can do without a car, and there are others who have no choice," says this scooter user. With two hills in Lyon, "it's not as easy as in other cities that are perhaps flatter, like Amsterdam."

Pierre Oliver criticizes current decision-makers for having "really pitted cycling against other forms of transportation." "It requires detours, it creates additional traffic jams, and it discourages people from coming to Lyon. It's problematic."

"One point among others"

For his part, Bruno Bernard points out that the initial objective of the Green Party mandate was to "invest massively in public transport" and to stop a project for underground motorway lanes around Lyon.

Cycling? "One point among others," he says: "in the current mandate, we must remember that there are 2,5 billion euros for public transport, and that for our Lyon Ways project we will be putting 200 million."

He boasts of a rebalancing of mobility, with evidence of "28% more subscribers gained in public transport, 60% more bicycles, and 12% fewer cars."

And as a result, a reduction in air pollution and road accidents... As for the reduction in car use, it helps to smooth out traffic even on narrow lanes, argues Mr. Bernard.

Pierre Rauzada, for his part, calls for cyclists not to think they can do whatever they want. "The term of office has pleased them, and so they're letting themselves go," he laments, calling for "a refocusing of uncivil cyclists." And for cities to now have "the political courage" to emphasize the fines issued to offenders, he demands.