Lot: in Figeac, the success of bicycle boxes to avoid taking the car

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This is a new move for Ingrid Ledru, a shopkeeper in Figeac (Lot), and a first in France. In front of her bookstore, she places this small cart so that her customers can hang their bikes on it and avoid the car. "We have lots of people who come to buy a book. It's on their way home from work, so we don't have to take the time to park if we have to go around in circles. Here, it's nearby. We park, we take our book, we go home," says the saleswoman.

The very first users are won over by this solution: "It's definitely something that's missing and, in any case, many cities would benefit from developing this," comments a cyclist who has just dropped off his bike. "It seems safe enough to leave my bike and go get a coffee right next door," explains a young woman.

Every evening at closing time, the bookseller will have to bring the equipment back in to avoid cluttering the street. Around ten publicly funded terminals are positioned in the town center, in front of volunteer businesses. To encourage cycling, the town of Figeac is increasing its parking solutions. At the train station, cyclists have a locked box that they can use for free, for a maximum of 7 days, by putting their own lock on it. "I use it when I'm going to take the train. So, for more than a day, in fact, when the bike has to spend a night in Figeac, I prefer to have it in the box, it's more secure," he explains.

Around twenty boxes like this one have been installed in the town, which is investing more than 30,000 euros to attract cyclists. "We are here in a town that is still very rural, in which the car is still the primary means of transport. The objective is not to exclude it and especially not to make people feel guilty. On the other hand, it is to offer as many alternatives as possible to travel," says Guillaume Baldy, deputy mayor of Figeac in charge of mobility.

When we visited, most of the stalls were full. This success can also be explained by the popularity of these red electric bikes, available for rent for 40 euros per month. They've found their audience.