We will have to slow down on the roads of Lyon. Announced last September, the Lyon “City 30” measure came into force on Wednesday. 84% of the road map is now limited to 30 km / h, against 37% until then. Only 13% of the streets remain limited to 50 km / h, in particular the tunnel of the Croix-Rousse, part of the quays of the Rhône, the rue Garibaldi or the boulevard des Belges.
New habits to adopt at the wheel for the Lyonnais who are divided on this new measure. A resident of the 4th arrondissement, Stéphanie sees this in a good light: “Here on the boulevard de la Croix-Rousse, there are several schools and a lot of traffic, so if it allows more safety for the children, it’s a good thing “.
“It’s more of a political measure”
For others, like Philippe, also from Croix-Rousse, the pill is more difficult to pass: “The more you go, the slower you drive. Soon we’ll all be on foot. In some areas, I can understand it, but there, almost the whole city, it’s too much. Already that we spend a lot of time in traffic jams, it will be even worse now”.
Alain, who lives in the Presqu’île, has yet another analysis: “Honestly, there were very few axes where you could drive at 50 km/h, because of the traffic jams or the limitations already in place. So it’s not going to change much in my daily life, it’s more of a political measure.
“Educational” verbalizations for a month
On the side of the city and the metropolis, the argument of security is advanced to defend this measure. Elected officials want to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries due to road accidents, while 17 pedestrians lost their lives in the metropolis in 2019. According to the city of Lyon, reduce the speed to 30 km / h would make it possible to divide the braking distance by two and to attenuate the impacts with pedestrians, increasing their chances of survival.
If you have trouble adapting to these new limitations, don’t panic, the town hall announces that throughout the month of April, there will be no fines, only “educational” verbalizations.