He was walking on the sidewalk, his headphones screwed to his ears. Two fine offenses for this bartender, riding his electric scooter, which did not escape the police. But Thursday afternoon, the young Nantes man who was going to work is lucky in his misfortune. “Exceptionally, they have the choice,” explains Yann Rooryck, road safety referent at the Loire-Atlantique departmental public safety directorate. Either they pay the fine, or they agree to immediately attend road safety awareness workshops, lasting about half an hour. “
If some prefer to put their hands in their pockets (up to 90 or even 135 euros for some), more than thirty offenders have chosen the second option during this preventive operation called “alternatives to prosecution”, which takes place. stood for two hours in front of the Nantes University Hospital. Among them, many cyclists who listened to music or called. Scooters, too, surprised to overtake on the bike path. “We also had a lady in the car biting on the bicycle lock,” indicates a volunteer worker from the Prevention of Roads. Some do not know that these rules exist. We will say that others forget them… ”
“Bad habits are hard to break”
So, in front of looks that are sometimes interested and sometimes elusive, the interveners (municipal police, Place au Vélo association, etc.) who run the four stands recall the rules for sharing the road: keep a distance of one meter when a motorist passes a bicycle, redouble vigilance when you are a cyclist approaching a heavy weight … “It’s true that I should be less distracted, believes Louis, 17, also pinned for headphones. But hey, bad habits are hard to break. Audrey, who had taken out her cell phone to read her GPS, promises to buy a helmet and yellow vest, which is not compulsory but recommended, in the near future.
This operation, a first subject to the authorization of the prosecutor, will be repeated in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. But the police warn that classic checks could also be carried out in the coming days, especially in the evening, for example to check the lights of the bikes. Fines, generally 11 euros, could be distributed this time.