Lyon, July 27 – The Métropole de Lyon’s decision to definitively abandon the requalification project for the right bank of the Rhône River has ignited a wave of discontent among residents and project supporters. An online petition launched by a local environmental activist is rapidly gaining traction, with over 3,700 signatures collected as of Monday morning, July 27, 2026, demanding the project’s reinstatement.
Project Abandonment and Public Reaction
The announcement of the project’s termination, made without prior consultation with the Mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, or the press, has drawn sharp criticism. Véronique Sarcelli, President of the Métropole de Lyon, initially remained silent on the decision but has now issued a statement explaining her position amidst the growing public outcry.
The Initiative for Resumption
Lucien Di-Bin, a Lyon environmental activist, is the driving force behind the online petition. He highlights that since 2022, the stated objective of environmentalists was to “end the quasi-motorway character of these quays, which see up to 80,000 vehicles per day, and restore residents’ access to the river over 2.5 km between the Lattre-de-Tassigny and Gallieni bridges.”
Over 2,500 residents had previously expressed support for these long-term works, which promised the planting of 1,200 trees across 30,000 m² of green spaces and the construction of a secure cycle path.
Financial and Ecological Concerns
Di-Bin also points out the substantial sums already invested by the community. “Beyond the ecological waste, this abandonment could be costly to public finances, with contractual penalties estimated at over one million euros, a point that the Métropole has so far refused to comment on clearly,” explained the petition’s creator.
The petition, advocating for the resumption of studies and works, mentions the need for consultation and a “sustainable climate adaptation plan for the Métropole de Lyon in the face of increasingly intense and frequent heatwaves.”
Growing Support
The online text has already collected more than 3,700 signatures by Monday morning. The mobilization extends beyond immediate residents of the right bank, encompassing all those in Lyon who increasingly suffer from urban heat each summer. The petition’s creator urged, “If you share this conviction, sign this petition and share it around you – with your neighbors, your associations, your neighborhood collectives. The more numerous we are, the more this message will weigh against the Métropole.”
Métropole’s Justification
Véronique Sarselli, breaking her silence, addressed the wave of indignant comments by stating, “Under the guise of greening, it was actually about profoundly reconfiguring an axis that welcomes between 50,000 and 80,000 vehicles every day, by removing 5 of the 8 traffic lanes, with unreliable and poorly controlled traffic diversions. It also involved removing 700 parking spaces, with no suitable public transport alternative to date.”
Sarselli dismisses the project as “a project decided at the very end of the mandate to prevent us from acting” and promises “a comprehensive work, in the general interest and without dogmatism.”
The controversy underscores the ongoing tension between urban development, environmental concerns, and public opinion in Lyon.
Source: actu.fr
