Photo: moto-station.com
Tens of thousands of riders protested in multiple cities throughout France, expressing their disapproval of the new regulation that restricts access of bikes and scooters deemed as being "old" in large areas of capital city, Paris.
The various sources reporting on the recent protests mention gatherings as large as 500 in the Hautes-Alpes and Marseille, 1200 in Nantes and Perpignan, 1500 in Belfort, Rennes, Saint-Etienne and Strasbourg, 2500 in Bordeaux, Caen and Clermont-Ferrand, or 5000 in Lyon, according to moto-station.
The FFMC (Federation Francaise des Motards en Colere, French for French Federation of Angry/Pissed Off Motorcyclists) reports that around 15,000 riders on 10,0000 bikes assembled last Saturday in Ile-de-France and set out for Le Peripherique, or the outer ring road around 3 pm to block the road. Police sources say that only 6,000 motorcycles took part in the protest, so the info is mixed.
How much these protests will help change the current situation is hard to predict. In the absence of massive interest from powerful media, these remain somehow an even isolated, with little impact, despite riders in so many French cities responded FFMC's call to action.
Stubborn as we know the FFMC, we can estimate that such actions will be repeated, aiming to draw attention from the press at a higher level.
Still, these seem to be only the first restrictions Mme. Hidalgo has in plan, with harsher bans to be enforced. If the FFMC manage to draw enough attention from major media outlets, maybe there is a way to put an end to this silly ban.
We wonder how many VW cars are out on Paris' streets each day... just wondering...
Paris riders are the most affected, so it's easy to understand that the biggest crowds gathered in the capital
It goes without saying that Paris, being the country's capital and largest city, also hosts the most riders, hence the higher number of riders affected by Mayor Hidalgo's ban.The FFMC (Federation Francaise des Motards en Colere, French for French Federation of Angry/Pissed Off Motorcyclists) reports that around 15,000 riders on 10,0000 bikes assembled last Saturday in Ile-de-France and set out for Le Peripherique, or the outer ring road around 3 pm to block the road. Police sources say that only 6,000 motorcycles took part in the protest, so the info is mixed.
How much these protests will help change the current situation is hard to predict. In the absence of massive interest from powerful media, these remain somehow an even isolated, with little impact, despite riders in so many French cities responded FFMC's call to action.
Stubborn as we know the FFMC, we can estimate that such actions will be repeated, aiming to draw attention from the press at a higher level.
Pre-2000 bikes banned, more to follow
This motorcycle ban is not exactly new, and we reported on multiple occasions about how things evolved. In an effort to curb air pollution in the city, Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo sought to restrict the circulation of bikes registered before 2000 in major areas of the French capital between 8 am and 8 pm.Still, these seem to be only the first restrictions Mme. Hidalgo has in plan, with harsher bans to be enforced. If the FFMC manage to draw enough attention from major media outlets, maybe there is a way to put an end to this silly ban.
We wonder how many VW cars are out on Paris' streets each day... just wondering...
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