ROAD WARS | TF1 | Reportages

It’s a necessary consequence of the ecological movement: cars are now persona non grata in major city centres, giving way to “greener” forms of transport: scooters, skateboards, mono-wheels… And, above all, bicycles! In the Ile de France their numbers have quadrupled in ten years. However, although the number of methods of getting around has grown, the street is not getting any bigger. It has to be shared, at the cost of unheard-of tension. For months, Sebastien Girodon has experienced the daily routine, sometimes very violent, of road users in Paris, Lyon and Marseille.

In particular, he boarded the taxi driven by Milan, who can’t stand anything on two wheels… Along with honking horns and screamed insults, he does sometimes lose his cool! And he says it loud and clear: “By creating bike lanes and narrowing the streets, the Paris City Hall has created hatred between road users!”

Sarah will soon become one of the new converts to the bike. A mother of two boys of 5 and 6, she spends up to two hours a day behind the wheel, stuck in Paris traffic jams to make the school run. “It’s a waste of time, a waste of energy, we have to find another solution!” So, she is about to trade her car in for a cargo-bike, fitted with a compartment on the front where she can seat her children. But her first trip may prove to be a stormy one!

Father and son, Eric and Mael, are huge fans of high-powered electric scooters. Machines that, when the motor is unrestricted (which is illegal in France) can reach 60mph… That is four times the permitted speed! So, the consequences of an accident on a scooter can be tragic. In Lyon, Loic was not driving too fast, but he ran a red light, knocking down 96-year-old Georgette. The old lady is now left tetraplegic. During the trial Loic will meet the victim’s family for the first time. A moment charged with emotion: “I think I’ll live with this for the rest of my life!”

Finally, in Marseille the Corniche may inspire dreams, but the roads of that city are especially dangerous for cyclists. The emergency services know something about that! Along with the police in Paris or Lyon, they battle every day to make the roads a safer place.