This is a first for the town of Condé-sur-Vire (Manche), south of Saint-Lô. This Monday, May 20, she organized a day dedicated to soft mobility. For a car-free day, the city center was closed off from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Objective: to introduce residents to bicycles, skateboards and even scooters and, above all, encourage them to abandon the car! The opportunity, in a festive atmosphere, to also do road safety for local residents, to come and have a bike repaired and to simply learn the basic rules, on a bike, for the youngest.
Cycling at the heart of concerns
This car-free day is an eco-responsible event initiated by residents, who want to continue to change mentalities in the town and surrounding areas. Behind this desire, the city followed suit and it has since had a snowball effect on soft mobility in the town, confide Solveig Bernard, communications manager and Eric Cauvin, deputy mayor: “For example, for our agents, we try to finance electric bikes for their travel […] We feel that there is a demand, people came to us to set up bicycle garages at the gymnasium, at school, children come by bike, we see fewer cars in town, it’s working.”he rejoices.
Louis Fontaine
This mini-festival is an opportunity, in addition for elected officials, to continue to awaken and make residents aware of what the municipality wants, that is to say prioritizing cycling in the future, “because the city center is often clogged, especially with this period of work”, recalls Martine Savary, deputy mayor. For this, the town hall has been developing the chaussidou for several months. A roadway with an unmarked central lane which makes it possible to create a space for cyclists, on roads that are too narrow. The city center is also limited to 30 km/h to encourage motorists to slow down.
Louis Fontaine
“We just need to increase the public transport offer in the area”indicates Flavie, resident of Moyon Villages. “Biking, yes, but here, it’s hilly, you need electric power and for example, to go to Saint-Lô, it’s not very accessible, although we have the towpath. , I think, more rotation for buses, even if for short trips, we can all make the effort”, concludes the mother.
If there is no date yet for a 2nd edition, it will take place next year in Condé-sur-Vire, according to the organizers.
The mayor of Condé-sur-Vire invited by France Bleu Cotentin
Laurent Pien, the mayor of Condé-sur-Vire (Manche), will be the guest of France Bleu Cotentin this Tuesday, May 21, 2024 to take stock of this first edition, at 8:10 a.m., in our Common Causes section.