Metz to be first bike-friendly city

METZ is set to become the first 100 per cent cycle-friendly city, with two-way cycleways and 20kph and 30kph speed limits in the centre.

Urban ecology director René Darbois said a bicycle-friendly city was a key campaign point of mayor Dominique Gros and they had launched a €20 million 10-year plan.

The two-way cycleways at Sablon were the first fruit of this, along with the new zones de rencontre areas where pedestrians, cyclists and motorists shared space, but with speeds cut to 20kph to match pedestrians’ needs.

"Now we are going to put a cycleway on the Pont des Morts, the most dangerous road in the city, so parents can send their children to school on bikes without fear."

There are 50km of cycleways in the district, but this will be increased to include links to the city centre and across districts. An extra 190 bicycle parking spaces have been set up.