The announcement surprised more than one. Last week, Lyon city hall confirmed that the era of heated terraces was indeed over across the country. The ban has been in effect since November 1. Environmentalists have taken the lead, preferring to apply the measure this winter while the national ban, enshrined in the climate law, has been postponed to April to take into account the impact of the health crisis on bars and the restaurants. “A procrastination of the State”, estimates the mayor EELV Grégory Doucet, recalling that the heating devices on the terrace, would be responsible for the emission of 500,000 tons of C02 per year in France.
In fact, this decision, which went unnoticed, was enacted on July 28 through a municipal decree. It was part of the campaign promises. If some establishments have already taken the plunge, consumers who have responded to our call, them, remain divided between the feeling that it is a measure of “common sense” and the frustration of having to change their habits.
“We never attack the real polluters”
“It sucks because they want to park us inside. But with the Covid-19, it will be worse, ”plague Sophie. “It’s a lamentable booming attitude [de la 5e vague] coronavirus, abounds Jacqueline. Ecology remains far from common sense. “We never attack the real polluters”, deplores Kaïs, estimating that the “small traders who energize the city center will still be the most impacted”. And to add: “This desire to always prohibit everything to people is not going in the right direction. Soon, they will think that the temperature of a house or an apartment in the middle of winter should not exceed 10 degrees! “.
Gabrielle indicates that she will not “change her habits” and that this ban is, according to her, “a necessary evil”. “I’ll wait for sunny days to have a drink on the terrace. And no, I would not go during cold and freezing nights, ”answers Manon for her part. Arnaud admits that “this decision is difficult” but “seems fully justified”. “It is absurd to burn fossil gas to heat the atmosphere. We have to get used to our environment ”. He’ll put on a sweater and “order hot drinks” to continue going out to eat on the terrace.
“Heating the terraces is an aberration”
“It’s a good thing that this is banned. Heating the terraces is an aberration without a name, reacts Stéphane. It is a waste and nothing else. Nicolas also believes that the decision is “justified”. “What an aberration to overheat the planet with the aim of ever greater overconsumption. Soon air conditioners in the streets in the middle of August? He asks ironically. For Olivier, everything is a “question of habit”. “I was in Frankfurt two weeks ago. It was 6 or 7 degrees but people settled down without problem on the terrace to have lunch or have a drink, ”he says.
To compensate for any loss of turnover from shops, the Lyon town hall has promised professionals an extension of their terrace area for the summer period.