Following the death, on Tuesday, October 15 in Paris, of a cyclist hit by a motorist, Alexis Frémeaux, president of the Parisian association Mieux se verre à bikette (MDB) and co-president of the Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB), speaks. .
How do you describe this event?
According to the facts reported, this is not an accident. Apparently, the driver of the SUV deliberately decided to run over the cyclist. Therefore, it would be a murder.
What was your reaction, as a leader of the association, when you heard this news?
We met with other activists on Wednesday at noon at the Paris Bicycle House, in a state of shock, especially since the victim was a very committed member of the Paris saddle association. We called a demonstration that same afternoon in the Place de la Madeleine, not far from where the tragedy occurred.
Has such a tragedy already occurred in France?
The members of the FUB report several similar cases, although they did not cause the death of the victim. Furthermore, when an accident occurs, the cyclist dies and no witnesses come forward, it is difficult to determine how exactly the events occurred.
The MDB association has released on the X network a call to witness road violence. What do you remember about the answers given?
We received nearly 150 testimonies, from all over France and other places. This issue causes great excitement among people who travel by bicycle. Everyone seems to have a story to tell: people who were on a bicycle or on foot, and who suffered honks, verbal or physical violence, threats of beatings or death, swerves designed to destabilize them. People say they had to protect themselves, run away or hide. I observe that, many times, the perpetrators of these acts are motorists or cyclists who do not accept being slowed down or diverted from their path. And even fewer admit that someone makes the comment to them. I also notice that almost all of them are men.
In bicycle or scooter traffic accidents, sometimes certain comments give the impression that the victims are responsible for what happens to them. Do you make this observation?
Society is more accepting of violence when it occurs on the road. We find excuses for the author: it was unintentional, he was in a hurry, etc. A few years ago, a celebrity [Michel Sardou, en novembre 2022] I could say on television, about cyclists, “I’ll do the next one myself”without provoking a reaction from the presenter. I see that many politicians or editorialists question road safety measures, as happened in 2018, when the speed limit on the roads was limited to 80 km/h.
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