It still seems a long way away from January 2025, the date on which Crit’Air 3 vehicles will no longer be able to drive in Lyon. If this decision is already tense, the tension is rising a notch as the ecological majority studies the establishment of a limited traffic zone in the Lyon peninsula. The big upheaval to come meets fierce opposition from the Collective of Defenders of Lyon, around 150 members of which came to demonstrate during the last metropolitan council to protest their disagreement with the measure.
“Yes to bicycles and road sharing, but for all modes of transport. Our demands must be listened to,” enrages Jean-Noël Potin, spokesperson for the movement in comments reported by Les Echos. His exasperation is shared by traders, whose activity is greatly threatened by the car chase led by the metropolis. Local businesses have lost between 30% and 40% of turnover, which Philippe Valentin, president of the CCI Lyon Saint Etienne, regrets.
“Our concerns are linked to the difficulty of continuing deliveries, to the security of cyclists and delivery people, to traffic delays which do not seem to have been studied.” he assures Les Echos. Philippe Valentin also requests an extension of the consultation carried out by the metropolis on the limited traffic zone carried out by the metropolis, which must end this Friday.
Traders and craftsmen in great suffering
Artisans are also very affected by the situation. If they are not installed in fixed premises, the traffic difficulties in Lyon combined with the upcoming ban on Crit’Air 3 vehicles will necessarily impact them. “I no longer take on any new projects in Lyon, except those of my historical clients,” breathes Bruno, a locksmith from Caluire in Lyon People.
Another problem arises when it comes to parking, which is sometimes an obstacle course. “For more than 6 months, for a Lyon craftsman, the fines have increased by almost €450 per month”, regrets Anne-Sophie Panseri, president of Maviflex, a company based in Décines-Charpieu.
Faced with the risk of a drop in activity, traders received the support of a residents’ association which launched a petition entitled “Stop on closing”. The initiative, launched by the Collective of Defenders of Lyon and Greater Lyon, has already gathered more than 50,000 signatures!
The collective, which aims to be apolitical, ensures that the project of closing the peninsula to cars does not “not suitable” and depicts a project “utopian, excessive and inappropriate”. The group implores the mayor of Lyon and the president of the metropolis to “stop this devastating project” Who “condemns survival in the short term” from Lyon. Right now, they’re talking to a wall.
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In brief
In Lyon, tension is rising around the ZFE project. Traders and artisans fear they will no longer be able to work normally because of the planned closures in the city center.
