Ideas and proposals from the Gard o Climat association for better cycling in Pont-Saint-Esprit

Pont-Saint-Esprit: during the September Vélorution, participants had the pleasure of riding on the medieval bridge without cars. – Picasa

Ce lundi 8 janvier, Michel Tachon et Jean-Olivier Garda ont présenté à la presse leurs idées pour inciter davantage les habitants à circuler à vélo. C. C. – Midi Libre

Les bénévoles ont étudié un certain nombre de propositions. Deux seraient faciles et peu coûteuses à mettre en place rapidement. 

"Bicycle traffic is growing at high speed.  I see more and more families using bicycles for their daily trips. It's time for small towns to take it more seriously, summarizes Michel Tachon, leader of the Spiripontain group of Gard o Climat (ex-AC2GR). Since its creation, the members of the association have strived to share their expertise and ideas with the communities of the Rhone Gard. For the Soft Mobility cluster, the association notably worked in concert with the municipality of Bagnols on a bicycle plan, and organized bicycle rides in Bagnols, Laudun and Pont-Saint-Esprit. Pont's second velorution took place at the end of September. At the end of the event which brought together eighty participants, the volunteers invited residents to participate in meetings in order to discuss the usefulness and relevance of measures to be proposed to the municipality . "To encourage people to travel by bike, we need security. You need suitable supports to park them. This involves reviewing the direction of traffic on certain arteries, reducing the speed on certain arteries to 30 km/h, indicate Michel Tachon and Jean-Olivier Garda, a volunteer who has been traveling by bike for a long time. .

Close the medieval bridge to car traffic once a month

Initially, the volunteers made two inexpensive proposals to be implemented quickly, during a meeting with the mayor at the end of November. Namely, close the medieval bridge to car traffic on the first Sunday of the month from March. "This would encourage Spiripontans to go for a walk on the bridge and on the other bank and tourists from the ViaRhôna, which is increasingly busy, to come and discover Pont-Saint-Esprit." "We suggested these weekends because TERs cost 1 €. People could arrive from Avignon by train and come back down via the ViaRhôna. " The mayor, Claire Lapeyronie, indicated yesterday that a response will be provided in this first quarter. This closure does not depend only on the municipality, the road manager being the Department and the closure being requested from the prefecture.
Second simple proposal: for rue du Major Soler, a transverse artery, indicate by signs that the right lane is reserved for buses (this is already the case) and also for cyclists (in both sense). Indicate with signs that the rue du 11-Novembre, in its extension, is shared with cyclists by means of signs." 

A special gateway for gentle travel  

Gard o Climat has carried out significant reflection on the directions of traffic. "In reference to Uzès, we think of the one-way street around the old center. It’is a little more complicated to organize but it does not represent a big investment." The volunteers studied many other ideas, always thinking about cohabitation with motorized traffic. In particular to encourage motorists to take circuits other than crossing the center. In the long term, they even dream of a “gentle travel” footbridge over the Rhône which would find support on the new bridge.

In Bagnols, the bike workshop is a hit!

Gard o climat  created in 2023 a participatory and supportive bicycle repair workshop. Helped by experienced volunteers, people come to repair their cycle. The tools and certain parts are provided. Another activity, volunteers repair bikes given to them and resell them at low prices. "The workshop is a hit! There is demand,” rejoices Bertrand Philippe from the Soft Mobility Center. Ten bicycles were sold at the end of the year. Eight bicycles were repaired for the Bagnols day hospital at cost price ("We only charge for the equipment").

Gard o climat bike workshop, Friday and Saturday morning by appointment, 214 avenue Salengro (in the Peps premises), 06 77 70 98 48. I subscribe to read more