“That’s the one I like, he has a basket!” exclaims a student, firmly clutching a beautiful vintage bicycle she spotted. “Okay, but be careful, on this one, the gears are on the frame, it’s very special! “We are not in the Cycles section, at Decathlon, but in the gardens of the Triolet university residence, in Montpellier (Hérault). On Thursday, the Crous organized, for the first time, a major operation to loan bicycles (with a double anti-theft device!), to students who needed them. The system is financed thanks to the CVEC (Contribution de vie étudiante et de campus), a tax that students must pay each year, at the start of the academic year.
The initiative is virtuous: these bikes are those that residents of university rooms abandon when they move. And there are many. “About a hundred, each year, in each university city of the city. And there are six! “Amazes Marie Briat, head of campus life at Crous. “Students can’t afford to take them with them when they leave their accommodation, or they don’t take the time to get rid of them. This is an observation that has been made for years. And, unfortunately, so far, these bikes ended up in the dump. We also gave some to associations, but they could not all recover them. »
“It will change my life! exclaims a student
This year, the Crous has decided to save them from the dumpster, to entrust them to the association Recycle & Vous, so that they can be retyped, before offering them to students who need them. Bicycles are lent free of charge to residents of the Crous, most of whom are scholarship holders. They don’t have a deposit to pledge, and they won’t have to reimburse the bike if, unfortunately, they get it stolen. “We are vigilant, however, and we make the students responsible, explaining to them that it is up to them to ensure and maintain it,” continues Marie Briat. To help them repair their bikes, in the event of a problem, they can, however, go to the hotlines that the association Le vieux biclou regularly organizes in university residences.
Hala, one of the beneficiaries of the operation, is smiling from ear to ear with her new bike. It must be said that this mathematics student struggled to walk home from her odd job, every night, from the city center to the faculty district. “At night, unfortunately, there is no tram,” she explains. So this is going to help me a lot, a lot. And I couldn’t have bought myself one. It will change my life! His Master’s friend, Jana, also picked up a nice bicycle on Thursday. “I told Hala yesterday that I wanted to buy myself one,” she smiles. I work very, very early in the morning, and there is no tram yet. She said “No, especially not! The Crous is ready tomorrow!” »
“With everything else, it’s complicated to buy a bike”
It was impossible for Habyl-Housseine, a Bachelor of Fine Arts student, to afford a bicycle. “I have a scholarship, level 2, and with everything else, it’s complicated to buy a bike,” says the young man. But he dreamed of it. “I took the bus, and in my section, we have to take our work with us, it’s often bulky… And in the morning, when the buses are shielded, it’s not easy! On the bike, it will do! »
There were people, lots of people, Thursday, in the gardens of Triolet. About 200 students, for only 50 bikes. “Do you know if it’s only today, the distribution? “, worries a student, at the very end of the queue, who understood that she would leave on foot. No worries. As of today, Crous residents who are interested in this device, called En roue libre, can let them know on the Crous Montpellier website. (here)and they can come and collect their bicycles.