Thursday, late afternoon, a young woman on a bicycle died while riding on a bike path in the town of Loos, near Lille, in the North. A drama that scandalizes the community of cyclists on social networks, especially since the dangerousness of such developments had already been denounced.
The exact circumstances of the accident will have to be defined by the investigation which was opened after the tragedy. According to the first elements available to us, the 20-year-old young woman was on her bike on the cycle path when she swerved to avoid a vehicle door that had just opened. She fell on the road, under a heavy weight, which continued on its way, dragging the cyclist under its wheels for about fifty meters. The driver did not hear the cries of the witnesses asking him to stop, one of them told 20 minutes. According to the firefighters, the young woman died on the spot.
“The infrastructure of this road is a disgrace”
A drama which is not the first of its kind and which scandalizes cyclists, who denounce unsuitable infrastructures. “The people of Lille are paying with their lives because of your infrastructure”, denounces Aude on Twitter. “The infrastructure of this road is a disgrace, especially since it has been refurbished, making it even more dangerous,” adds Samyleiev. “This street is not wide enough for trucks and a cycle path”, observes Sébastien.
All agree on one point: these “cycling markings” between the roadway and the parking spaces are heresy. “Painting will never be enough”, Barda gets carried away, claiming real “secure cycle paths”. “I’m so angry! The bike lanes along the parking lots are criminal. This kind of arrangement is no longer necessary! fulminates Enroueslibres. “This death is due to the incompetence of the city of Loos and the MEL, which retained a deplorable road layout that does not protect bicycles”, accuses the former elected environmentalist Myriam Cau.