Cycling certainly requires a certain amount of organization when, like Virginie, you have young children. “I have two bikes, one of which I can put the children on when I go to pick them up from daycare.”she explains.
The weather is not a hindrance for her, once well equipped with “a good rain cape and a good bike”. The brake is security: “We really need separate lanes for bikes.”, she notes. She points out certain developments, such as the dangerous Seclin traffic roundabout, right next to her home, through which she must pass to go shopping in Avelin, the neighboring town. “From Avelin, there is a cycle path and suddenly it ends and we find ourselves on this large roundabout. It’s a big black spot”, she regrets. By moving a little further from Lille, Virginie was able to observe a real difference in the quality of cycling infrastructure.
François Decherf, 46 years old, Loos
“Trying Vélotaf means adopting it”
François Decherf, 46, recently became a fan of the bike train. “I do cycling in clubs, in a more sporty way, and for work. I live in Loos: in the morning, I go by train from Lille Flandres station to Armentières then I travel the last two kilometers to work. The return, I do it 100% by bike, it’s 16 km”, he explains. In the morning, the TER is an interesting solution for getting to work without increasing the number of kilometers by bike. “I have the advantage of being in the right direction. I'm leaving the Lille metropolis, there are fewer people», agrees François.
The Loosois first tested “vélotaf” by changing jobs. “I've made it a time or two to try it out. And to try it is to adopt it. Before, I worked in Douai, it was not possible to go there by bike. Cycling is an opportunity for physical activity, which the distance allows, and for ecology”he believes.
Because the journey is quite long, François does not necessarily take his bike every day. Rain remains a hindrance, as does safety. “When the weather is too bad, I go there by car. My problem is between Armentières and Capinghem. During the winter period, safety is a barrier. To get people on the road, this is the main problem identified. And for people who live in 1930s houses, this also raises the question of bicycle storage. I'm lucky enough to have a bike shed and a garage at work. “, he specifies.
Driving almost every day brings him a form of well-being. “By bike, I take double the time, but we arrive with a fresher mind», he concludes.
Michel Malapelle, 58 years old, Méricourt
“I lead a community of commuters at work”
It was clearly the environmental impact that first convinced Michel Malapelle to act at his level. “I wanted to change my habits and leave the car in the garage“, he remembers. It was in 2013. Since then, the resident of Méricourt has been cycling to work in Lens. “I travel by bike every day, not just for work. I do my shopping by bike, I go to work by bike. I do around 25 to 30km per day. To go to Lens, there are approximately 6km“, he specifies.
For Michel, cycling is “The well-being“. And he quickly shared his experience with his colleagues at Luminess. “I created a community of cycle workers at work, first on the Lens site then on the group's three other sites in France. This community of cycle commuters brings together around fifty people», specifies Michel.
This approach within the company is a real source of emulation to reduce the carbon footprint between the different sites. “This allowed us to obtain the IKV (the bicycle mileage allowance, replaced by the sustainable mobility package),” underlines Michel, proud to indicate that the community of “cycle riders” has accumulated 164,000km by bike three years after its creation.
Pauline and Arnaud Lang, 35 years old, Santes
“It was important for us to do it”
Pauline Lang and her husband, Arnaud (both aged 35), recently became “velotaffeurs”. They live in Santes, in Weppes, and drive around ten kilometers every day. “I am a teacher and I change schools every year, explains Pauline. I work in Haubourdin, less than 10km from my home. My husband works in Lompret, 10km away.”
Pauline and Arnaud took the plunge in September 2022. “I started cycling in May 2022 for May by bike, I saw that it was doable, says the young woman. In the summer, we had a car accident. We had to sell the second car to be able to buy a family car.” So the next school year, they only kept one car, both going to work by bike and adapting their family organization.
“We would have taken more time to get started, Pauline readily agrees. We did the whole year like that. In the morning, he is the one who takes the children to school. In the evening, I'm the one who goes to pick them up. My husband really got into it and realized it was better for him.” However, it is too early to take the children by bike. “We haven't equipped them, we think it's too dangerous. In the morning, at 8:20 a.m., people are in a hurry», believes Pauline.
Although it may be faster around Lille, the commute to work is not necessarily a time saver. “I am sensitive to ecology and it was important for us to do it. I wasn't wondering if I was going to do it, but rather when. And for health, it's good. It's super nice. Neither of us would go back. We are much more serene», concludes Pauline.
Véronique Dorignaux, 61 years old, Capinghem
“At first I was an alien”
Originally from Belgium where cycling is much more developed than in France, Véronique Dorignaux, 61, naturally started cycling to get to work seventeen years ago. “In Belgium, I lived in the city and it was unlivable. It cost me a lot and I was a bit sporty. Already, we do it with the idea that we are not going to spend gas and then there is the environmental impact. I also went faster on a bike than in a car.“, she assures.
So when she arrived in the Lille metropolis in 2010, in Lambersart then in Capinghem, Véronique did not change her habits. However, she was able to measure the road ahead. “At first I was an alien», remembers the one who goes to the CHR by bike every day, 10km from her home. She has seen the situation evolve positively in recent years. “There is progress on the road», she says, citing the Deûle bridge, between Lambersart and Lille, as an example.
A cyclist convinced that only icy ice can stop her, Véronique tries to raise awareness around her. “Some people tell me that you sweat, but it depends on how fast you are going, she explains. And there is the fact of not feeling safe in traffic. The more you ride, the more experience you gain. With time, we know where the danger comes from.» She also advises working on your route to work in order to take the one where you feel most comfortable.
