Par Théo Zuili
Published on Apr 3, 24 at 5:37 p.m. See my news Follow Lyon News
The development project for Avenue des Frères Lumière, in the 8th arrondissement of Lyon, continues to be controversial. This very commercial axis of My pleasure will soon be cut in two with a new traffic plan aimed at reducing car traffic.
The elected environmentalists of the Metropolis of Lyon had reassured the traders by arguing that only 8% of consumers of the avenue were traveling by car. Doubtful, the neighborhood associations did not fail to carry out their counter-investigation, and the figures discovered will quite contrary those of environmentalists.
A first controversial count
The Lyon Metropolis carried out its investigation in February 2022. A total of 1,634 people, questioned in the street over several days, responded. Verdict: two thirds of the passers-by interviewed lived in the neighborhood, 80% traveled on foot, 4% by bike and 8% by car.
Enough to argue in favor of transforming the avenue into a “bike-street”, giving priority to cyclists, but retaining car traffic. Revegetation and widening of sidewalks will eliminate nearly 80 parking spaces.
Avenue des Frères Lumière will become a bicycle street. (©Studio alma – MOZ)
A new traffic plan will aim to drastically reduce car traffic: “It will no longer be possible to completely cross the avenue from end to end, there will be a system which will force cars to turn at a given moment and slalom”, explained to news Lyon Fabien Bagnon, vice-president of mobility for Greater Lyon.
A counter-investigation carried out by traders
All this, without penalizing commerce on the avenue. On the contrary, assures the Metropolis. But traders do not agree. After trying to express their fears without success, the Monplaisir associations decided to carry out their own investigation, noted by a bailiff.
From January 30 to February 10, 2024, 64 businesses of all types on Avenue and Place Ambroise-Courtois (i.e. a third of the neighborhood’s businesses) surveyed each of their customers.
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Gwenaël Belbeoch, president of the association of merchants and artisans of Monplaisir as well as Gilles Bessière, president of the association of residents and merchants J’aime Monplaisir, reveal the result exclusively to news Lyon. On the 19 034 clients interviewed, 31% came by car. A figure far from the 8% put forward by the Metropolis.
“Businesses will close”
A much more reliable result, according to Gwenaël Belbeoch. “With its figures, Greater Lyon is totally out of touch with reality. Since the start of the project, they have asked us to participate in workshops and exchange ideas. We raised our fears, nothing was preserved, it was just a waste of time. They are sailing by sight and we can expect to lose 30% of customers tomorrow. Businesses will close. »
However, these associations are not not hostile to redevelopment of the avenue. “The reduction of the car is the meaning of the story. But we don’t go from 10,000 cars per day to zero by force. It will create monster traffic jams. »
We are not opposed to the project, it is even an opportunity to make the neighborhood even more attractive. Widen the sidewalks, green up, yes! But this traffic plan and the elimination of parking are mistakes that could be costly.
Gwenaël BelbeochPresident of the association of merchants and artisans of Monplaisir
Still hope?
How can we convince environmentalists that they underestimate the impact of reducing car traffic on the neighborhood’s businesses and its vitality? Will the Metropolis still follow through on its bet?
While the first works are already launched on the avenue for a brand new development planned for 2026, the associations are reassured: “The project still seems to us to have very little action, communication is far from clear, there are no more exchanges with elected officials. »
The first work began in mid-October 2023 on Avenue des Frères Lumière, where cohabitation between different modes of transport is made more difficult on these portions. (©Théo Zuili / archives actu Lyon)
Gilles Bessière announced this to our editorial staff: the two associations have filed free appeals end of March 2024 against the Métropole de Lyon on the project. “Some devices will generate more problems than solve them. »
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