Speeding cyclists face radar trap

CYCLISTS could be fined for going too fast on the promenade cyclepath in a Riviera resort after the mayor set a 10kph speed limit - and put in a police speed trap.

Cagnes-sur-Mer mayor Louis Nègre said the cyclepath was on the pavement and cyclists, pedestrians young and old, rollerbladers and families with buggies all shared the path - but some people were causing a danger.

He said on France 3 TV "Normally I would never take a measure like this; 95% of cyclists show some intelligence and adapt their speed to how crowded the promenade is - but there are always 5% who are totally reckless and dangerous.

"A 70kg cyclist crashing into a child or an OAP at 30kph would be a very serious accident."

Now police have started checking speeds and warning some cyclists about their behaviour. Mr Nègre said that no fines would be handed out initially while they made people aware of the restriction, but those caught going faster than 10kph face a €35 fine.

Cyclists complained the move would "stop people switching from polluting cars" but others said the mayor should look at fining people for strolling along the cyclepath. Others pointed to the fact that most bicycles do not have a speedo.

Alfred Brink, president of the departmental cycle touring federation, told Le Parisien that the problem was that the cyclepath was not a real cyclepath: "It's a nice route, it draws lots of people but it's not a real cyclepath dedicated to cyclists. Instead of building a real cyclepath, they warn, they crack down."

And André Hartz, of the Côte d'Azur bike touring group, added: "More to the point, 10kph - that's the speed of a man running; bikes travel at 20 or 25kph."
Screengrab: France 3