Binoculars screwed on the eyes, the agent makes a sign to his colleague to stop the next car, a black C5 which goes up the Perrache quay of Lyon along the old A7 motorway. Whistle. At the wheel, the young driver complies easily but displays a surprised face.
“You were driving at 50 km/h,” the driver told him. policeman municipal council before asking for their license and vehicle papers. ” Yes why ? Is it limited to 30 km/h here? asks the young man sheepishly. Affirmative answer. Since March 30, Lyon has been become a City 30. In 84% of the streets, the traffic speed has been reduced to 30 km/h. But that, Bastien had partial knowledge.
“If it can prevent accidents, I understand”
“I had heard of it but I didn’t know when it would come into force,” he confesses. And I didn’t even know which streets were affected. But it’s okay, they were kind. The boy gets away with a call to order. No fines, no points deducted. For this time.
Contemptuous mine, Sonia is also invited to park. Verdict: 38 km/h. “Ah yes, it’s huge,” she says, laughing. I prefer to smile. Some drive at 150 km/h and are not fooled. It’s the game, ”she reacts before learning that she, too, escapes the sanction. Still quite surprised, the forty-year-old says she lives in Annonay, in Ardèche. “I came to see a friend in Lyon, I don’t work here. I did not even know that this measure had been taken, she justifies. I’m not sure that it will be respected by everyone but if it can avoid accidents, I understand. »
A month of tolerance
At the wheel of her 206, Inès was checked at 42 kilometers per hour and seems just as taken aback as the previous motorists. “Ah well, it’s 30 km/h here. I didn’t think, there was no sign or markings on the ground indicating it, ”she answers in all honesty. Same astonishment at Alexandre, apprehended at 48 km / h. “I didn’t see any marked limitation on the ground,” politely assures the father of the family. “When you enter the agglomeration, there is a sign indicating that the speed limit is 30 km/h. This means that it is now the case everywhere, except in a few streets where the speed remains at 50 km/h. And there, it is marked on the ground and it is indicated by signs, ”explains the agent.
For a month, the Lyon mobile control unit, which includes 30 agents, will not verbalize, preferring to inform motorists and distribute flyers. “It takes a little time to bring regarding a change in behavior among road users,” says Christophe Spaeter, director of the UMC. If the overrun is slight, we show pedagogy. »
Since last week, the police have already carried out several checks. “Overall, the new regulations are already well respected even if certain axes lend themselves to more speed”, notes the municipal agent. But in a month, the first verbalizations will fall. 135 euros fine if you do not ease off.