Vivre sans Bip: Demanding Alternative Solutions to Preserve Natural Spaces on Avenue du Parisis

Par Raphaël Delaveaux
Published on Oct 6, 23 at 12:00 See my news Follow La Gazette du Val d’Oise The Vivre sans Bip collective demonstrates against the construction of Avenue du Parisis – eastern section, Saturday October 7, 2023. ©DR

“We, associations, demand the abandonment of the Boulevard Intercommunal du Parisis (Bip) road project and the implementation of an alternative project which preserves natural spaces for the benefit of inhabitants, the climate, biodiversity, quality of life and the attractiveness of our territory. »

The Vivre sans Bip collective demonstrates, Saturday October 7, 2023, against the construction of Avenue du Parisis – eastern section.

Preserve natural spaces on the Bip route

The collective published a manifesto to protest against the construction of the eastern section of Avenue du Parisis, also called Bip. A demonstration takes place on Saturday October 7, departing from several towns in eastern Val-d’Oise (Montmorency, Soisy-sous-Montmorency, Groslay, Deuil-la-Barre, Arnouville and Sarcelles)

For the association, this route is anachronistic and endangers the lives of thousands of Valdoisians.

The Bip is a 2×2 lane expressway project dating from 1939 which would connect the A1 to the A15, crossing Val-d’Oise, destroying tens of hectares of natural and agricultural spaces, and threatening the health of 10 000 children whose schools are located along the route, who would then be exposed to high levels of air and noise pollution!

Collective Living without Bip

For them, the Bip should no longer exist today for a simple reason: “The argument put forward for the construction of this infrastructure is the “fluidification of road traffic”. However, the projects which were initially to justify the Bip (Europacity, the Dôme de Sarcelles) have since been abandoned,” indicates the collective.

An alternative solution

Vivre sans Bip insists on the possibility, for them, of finding alternative solutions to the construction of this major road, which would connect Soisy-sous-Montmorency to Bonneuil-en-France.

“The congestion currently observed occasionally in certain cities during peak hours can be resolved by local road developments and promoting active mobility in order to encourage modal shift, more numerous and accessible car parks around existing stations and the strengthening of public transport offer,” adds the collective.

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According to the latter, this is new proof that the environment is not at the center of concerns.

Let’s stop sacrificing the Valdoisians! Our territory deserves better than a road project from the last century which would destroy our landscapes, cut our cities in two, artificialize the soil, increase greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution as well as noise pollution in a part of the department that is already very urbanized, crisscrossed by hundreds of kilometers of road and flown over at low altitude by planes from Roissy and Le Bourget airports!

Criticizes the Vivre sans Bip collective

Clear requests

“We are calling for the abandonment of this unnecessary, polluting and costly road project, which is no longer consistent with the expectations of Valdois residents who want a healthy, pleasant and environmentally friendly living environment. It is time to redefine the way we develop our territory, and to promote the wealth that constitutes the natural areas located on the Bip route,” says Vivre sans Bip.

It is through the creation of a new program, where environmental concerns would be put back at the center of debates, that the Valdoisians would be satisfied, according to the collective.

An alternative project could make these spaces accessible, which would then become a place of well-being and leisure for residents as well as continuity in active mobility on foot or by bike, in addition to being a refuge for biodiversity, an island of freshness during heatwaves, and to allow the maintenance of healthy and local agriculture (shared gardens, Lemoine farm). These spaces would also constitute a green and blue network connecting many places of interest!

Living without Bip

The association is thinking of several places: Lake Enghien, the castle of Dino, the collegiate church of Montmorency, the green flow of Deuil-la-Barre, the Butte Pinson, the park of the meadows under the town in Sarcelles and the valley of little Rosne, which, among other things, “would thus highlight our territory and make it more attractive”, underlines Vivre sans Bip.

The collective also calls on stakeholders in Val-d’Oise to mobilize for this cause: “Associations, residents and elected officials, let’s come together around this vision of the future! Together, let’s build a new project preserving our natural heritage, guaranteeing a resilient, prosperous territory where life is good.”

An expected response

The Val-d’Oise department is awaiting the response from the Council of State concerning the possible development, or not, of avenue du Parisis, eastern section. “We hope that the decision will be made before the start of 2024,” confides Anthony Arciero, departmental advisor responsible for roads and Greater Paris.

For the latter, environmental expectations concern the entire department, and not just Avenue du Parisis. “We are planting a million trees in the Maubuisson forest, which represents nearly 1,340 hectares. Le Bip-est (Avenue du Parisis, Editor’s note) is 27.5 hectares. You have to put it into perspective,” explains Anthony Arciero.

Despite these announcements and the “departmental desire to make 21st century roads, greener and environmentally friendly”, the associations are not satisfied and are demonstrating on Saturday October 7, 2023, departing from several towns along the Bip route.

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