Bikers marched in Paris on Saturday to protest against the establishment of a technical control for motorized two-wheelers, paid parking in Paris and low emission zones (ZFE) in city centers.
Some 1,500 motorcycles according to the French Federation of Angry Bikers (FFMC) roared from Porte Dauphine in front of the headquarters of the metropolis of Paris, the town hall and the Council of State. On arrival, AFP had only 200 left.
“Triple punishment”
“Two-wheeler drivers face a triple penalty: technical controls that must be paid for, the establishment of paid parking in Paris since September, and especially that of Low Emission Zones (ZFE) in many many cities which is a real social bomb because it deprives many people of access to city centers, ”said Jean-Marc Belotti, coordinator of the French Federation of angry bikers for Paris and the Small crown.
Thursday, the Council of State gave the government two months to issue a decree organizing the technical control, in accordance with a European obligation dating from 2014, but never applied in France.
The schedule and terms must be made public “in the coming days” by the Minister Delegate for Transport Clément Beaune, who must also receive representatives of the FFMC, said Belotti.
The Federation of Bikers claims above all to fight “for motorized two-wheelers to be recognized as a response to mobility” and to be “authorized as such to circulate in Low Emission Zones (ZFE)”.
New demonstration Monday in Paris
“It becomes very complicated to use a two-wheeler in Paris when they are a mobility solution,” said Harry Bivigeu, consultant, who was demonstrating on his BMW. Living in Yvelines, he works in the heart of Paris in the 8th arrondissement. “I don’t see what a technical inspection will add to safety, the accident rate on two-wheelers due to the poor condition of the vehicles is already very low,” he says.
“Many motorcyclists are former motorists who optimize public space in the city,” believes Belotti, for whom the ZFEs are “discriminatory” and constitute “house arrest” for everyone.
Cassie, 28, a childcare assistant and also a protester, told AFP that she had “given up her job in Paris to find another in Garenne-Colombes”, where she lives, since parking became payable in Paris. The FFMC called for demonstrations again in Paris on Monday against paid parking, and on June 10 in Rouen against ZFEs.