“Not gasoline, but legs. This to be the new slogan of a bicycle brand. It is in any case the option chosen by some Toulouse residents to deal with the shortage of gasoline which has been raging for a few days in France. Some have decided to scrap their cars and get on their two-wheelers.
At crossroads or on cycle lanes, more and more cyclists have opted for the “vélotaf”. A trend confirmed by positioned counters especially near Matabiau station or near Airbus. With 4,122 passages on Wednesday, the one located in front of the station, along the Canal du Midi, recorded its record. “The previous one dated from July 7 with 4,117 passages. That day, the metro was out of order! “, Explain Thibaultwhich follows bicycle traffic in the Pink City on social networks.
He has done his accounts: he spends 50% more two wheels on the Matabiau side in recent days than on average on other weekdays of the year. On the Airbus side, at the Crab, the figure reached 2,601 cyclists on Tuesday, “best score of all time – + 100% compared to the average for weekdays in 2022”. Same thing on the Blagnac Latécoère side with a 90% increase in visits compared to the average for weekdays in 2022, or even in Colomiers Chevrefeuille: + 120% and Cornebarrieu and its + 85%.
For this cycling enthusiast, there is no doubt that “the current situation in terms of fuel purchases has a real impact on cycling in Toulouse. Daily users – bike riders – will have seen it on their usual route, ”he says.
A feeling shared by Florian Jutisz of the association “2 feet 2 wheels”. “There is clearly a visible increase in traffic, which is in line with the general trend of increase recorded over the past two years. When you’re on a bike, you’re safe from these fuel problems. This also shows that a large part of the population could get involved, ”pleads this activist of the little queen.
One more argument for developing infrastructure
The latest report from the Observatory of the cycling master plan for the Toulouse conurbation showed that the number of cyclists registered on the territory of the municipality of Toulouse between 2016 and 2021 had increased by 77%. According to this study, 9.1% of the inhabitants of the Pink City now use this means of transport to go to work, in particular the banks of the Canal du Midi and the rue de Metz in town, but also the canal lateral to the Garonne and the airport belt.
“Cycling is increasing for the first time at the entrances to the city of Toulouse. This trend can be explained by a real boom in cycling since the Covid-19 crisis. Cycling is no longer practiced only in the center of Toulouse, but in the suburbs and the municipalities of the first crown, ”also indicates the report which points to a drop in accident rates, from 88 accidents in 2019 to 66 per year. last.
For Florian Jutisz, these are all quick arguments to encourage politicians to develop an ambitious policy of “express bike network”, these lanes reserved for cyclists. “At the moment, options are on the table for their realization, but this will involve the deletion of car spaces, for example, which will make some people complain. There must be a commitment from the Métropole for a quality network,” he insists. For this activist, the public authorities “should use the tens of billions put on the table to subsidize gasoline rather on the bicycle plan which will only be endowed in 2023 with 250 million euros. »