“We would have to raze between 35 and 72 trees and eliminate parking”: the cycle path development on Boulevard de l'Ayrolle is a matter of debate

On Tuesday, December 10, the municipality inaugurated the renovation of the boulevard de l’Ayrolle in front of the café de La Perle. AD

The inauguration of the renovation of the boulevard de l’Ayrolle allowed the City to decide on the feasibility of bicycle facilities on the artery used by 10,000 vehicles per day.

“Thanks to all these collective efforts, the boulevard de l'Ayrolle has now been renovated and already makes us forget the dilapidated state of the roadway.” After a month of work, this “vital artery for the circulation and daily life of the people of Millau” was inaugurated on Tuesday evening in the presence of all those without whom the “metamorphosis” could not have taken place, said the deputy for transport Yannick Douls.

Supported by the municipality to the tune of €260,000, the development of this axis used daily by 10,000 vehicles has received treatment which “allows vehicle noise to be reduced by 50%”. It also allowed to reinforce the lighting, “much more efficient”,while modernizing drinking water networks.

“A real environmental effort thanks to the repair of 59 connections”, continues the municipal councilor delegated to ecology, Séverine Peyretout, who plans to treat 3,000 others in the coming years.

“A more virtuous and healthier network”

A fight against the waste of a “precious and fragile resource” which the City welcomes. “It is a necessity, validates the chosen one.And that’s what we’re doing and what we’re going to continue to do on Boulevard de l’Ayrolle, Avenue de la République and many other streets. Since 2019, this work has allowed us to save 280,000 m3 of water, the equivalent of roughly 2 months of residents’ consumption. This is considerable.”

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Designed to meet the challenges of accessibility, aesthetics and attractiveness, these works also symbolise for Mayor Emmanuelle Gazel the culmination of a ” collective work” which will have finally made it possible to lift “ the last discontents” by “anticipating and deciding on the methods of action with citizens.”

A general satisfaction which contrasts sharply with the expectations of the Vélo Millau association which, in an appeal filed at the end of November, deplored the absence of a cycle path or, at least, a route reserved for two-wheelers as recommended by the mobility orientation law (Lom).

“Forcing the City to comply”

Aimed at promoting the ecological transition and sustainable mobility, this law requires local authorities to implement a set of cycling facilities “when building or renovating roads”. With a higher requirement when traffic – which is the case here – exceeds 4,000 vehicles/day.

However, there is nothing like this on the Boulevard de l'Ayrolle. “This appeal is the last lever we have to understand why in 2024, the City did not want to build cycle paths. And to force it, if it persists, to comply”, had thus warned the association that without a response from the City – within two months from the date of filing the appeal – no longer rules out taking the matter to the administrative court.

“Shave between 35 and 72 trees”

“We thought we had met the majority of users' and cyclists' expectations in particular, by moving the city centre to 30 km/h. By also making motorists aware that they were not the only ones driving in the city thanks to dedicated signage”, regrets Yannick Douls, pointing out for the community, the difficulties of implementation both logistical and budgetary.

“We studied different options. We involved the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Development (Cerema) but we decided realized that to create a dedicated lane, parking would have to be eliminated and between 35 and 72 trees would have to be razed.” An option that the municipality, anxious to “calm the city center” after the trauma of pedestrianization, is probably in no hurry to present to the people of Millau.

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