Former rider and current manager of the Arkéa-Samsic team, Emmanuel Hubert is particularly concerned by road safety issues. In 2019, Elie Gesbert, rider of his training, had been the victim of an accident, hit by a motorist. For Prolongation, it offers several solutions to improve cohabitation between cyclists and motorists, as well as a strong gesture.
READ ALSO. Bike safety. Between cyclists and motorists, is cohabitation impossible?
His observation
“There is an education to be done on both sides and also common sense to be found, because I can see that it has deteriorated. There is danger. The cyclist is not exempt from all reproach and the motorist can sometimes get angry. For example, even if cyclists are allowed to ride two abreast, if they take a road with heavy traffic, they must know how to line up to allow cars to pass them without worry. You have to adapt, be flexible and exemplary. Another example, sometimes cyclists burn red lights, it is unacceptable. There is education to be done on both sides. Motorists must better understand the presence and speed of a cyclist who trains and does not travel at 20 km / h. Regularly, my runners are squeezed, brushed against by cars when they are training. In particular because 50% of motorists do not know the size of their car. Some people do not control driving and are unaware of the danger. “
Its solutions
“To drive a car, you pass the license, but to ride a bicycle, it is not compulsory. A kid, a teenager can be on the road, on a bicycle, without knowing the code. It’s not normal. Everyone must make an effort. But I think we need the probation of instances. We must make everyone responsible, educate and provide for heavy penalties. Because we cannot, on the one hand, say that the practice of cycling is good for health and ecology, and on the other hand cannot guarantee the safety of cyclists, whether they are sportsmen or not. It also means planning suitable cycle paths and reducing risks. “
His strong gesture
“I wrote to the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, because it is urgent to secure the roads, to protect cyclists. In the space of a month I have just lost two relatives who were riding, a friend in Fougères and the former Norwegian pro Chris-Anker Sorensen. It’s tragic to say to yourself that you can go to train, do your job and not come back. The motorist has a body, not the cyclist … “
Bike safety
First episode. Warren Barguil: “Cyclists, too, sometimes do anything …”
Second episode. Florian Rapiteau: “For two days, I couldn’t get up”
Third episode: Emmanuel Hubert: “An education to be done on both sides”
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