On the Bike Making Geneva Local Despite Living Near Nyon

Reading Time: 6 minutes
Years ago I could drive to Geneva every day, up to two times per day or more. Over a period of time they made driving more and more inconvenient. They changed road circulation patterns to create one way systems, that made direct drivers more complicated. They designed traffic lights to create, rather than reduce traffic. I once drove from Place des Nations to the end of the Pont Du Mont Blanc in an hour. That’s 2 kilometres per hour. That’s slower than a sloth.

Recently I was thinking about the freedom that a good cycling habit affords. If you drive to Geneva, then it’s rational to count an hour or more of driving. It’s about 20 minutes to get to Geneva, and then two minutes or more at each traffic light. If you have ten traffic lights that’s 20 minutes. That’s without counting congestion.

In contrast, on the bike, you set off when you want, and an hour or less later you can be in the centre of Geneva. If you’re heading for a bike ride then this makes perfect sense. If your destination has safe bike storage then this also makes perfect sense.

If it doesn’t, then you’re more exposed to bicycle theft and that’s why cycling, as true mobilité douce, is not a good solution. With recent road works in Nyon one of my daily walking routes has become deadly, not through anyone being killed, yet, but by people driving too fast, and without due care and attention to pedestrians.

The issue is that road works have made walking along a one hundred meter stretch very dangerous because cars drive too fast and too close to the “pedestrian” path. It’s painted lines and plastic bollards, and pedestrians have their back to traffic in one direction.

I mention this choke point because it has made one of my daily walks too toxic to be a good walking route. It is far too dangerous at rush hour, because cars, don’t slow, and don’t give enough space.

I noticed that on the Route Du Stand they are about to paint lines to make that walking route permanently dangerous for pedestrians. The issue is that they destroyed the walking route I enjoyed using to upgrade it for cyclists and pedestrians, without actually providing an alternative route. The result is that the walking route is dead.

It relates to the Route du Stand because whilst they plan to see if their planned infrastructures resolve the sense of insecurity, they will then make that walking route unusable for months.

The route de Crassier route is dead for a total of nine months. If it overlaps with the Route Du Stand road works, then that’s walking between Nyon and Eysins impassible. There will be no routes, safe from cars.

The Local Geneva Angle

If, as a pedestrian I am exposed to cars, then I’d rather be a cyclist, than a pedestrian, because, as a cyclist I can easily cycle along quiet roads, to avoid high traffic roads, within seconds. As a pedestrian I am at risk for a minute or more. That is deeply uncomfortable at rush hour.

If I need to choose between a car, and a bike, to feel safe, heading into Geneva, then the lure of going into Nyon is destroyed. The issue is that I don’t want to drive three kilometres because I don’t feel safe. I don’t want to take an expensive bus for a route I can walk comfortably within half an hour.

The best solution would be a bike, but I use my bike for leisure, and if it was stolen, and I was to find myself without a bike, then a big part of my leisure time would vanish at the same time. I’m not ready to cycle into Nyon, to watch films, whilst leaving my bike unattended. I have heard of one bike theft in Nyon in recent years, but that doesn’t mean the loss would be any less impactful if my bike was stolen.

So What Does Geneva Have to Do With This?

If I feel that driving into Nyon is absurd, that I feel that cycling is safe, but that I fear bicycle theft, then Nyon, except for cycling, becomes unreachable. Can you imagine paying for a bus ticket for a 3km walk? I can’t.

When I was thinking about the decline of walkability into Nyon, I was also thinking about the increasing attractiveness of cycling, first with Nyon groups, but also of cycling to Geneva, and that’s when I made the connection.

Of Energy Efficient Cycling and Logistically Frustrating Driving and Trains

If you go to Geneva and Nyon by car, you need to be ready to spend 30 CHF per day. If you go by train to Geneva, the cost is 14 CHF per day. If you go by bike the cost is, hypothetically zero francs per day, if you have a safe place to park the bike. If you meet people to do something outdoors, which is likely in summer, then the bike replaces the scheduled train, the expensive to park car, and more. It allows you to “pop in” to Geneva, for a few hours, and then ride back out, especially during daylight hours.

So often I think “I don’t want to go to Geneva, because I don’t want to pay for parking, or the train”. With a bicycle, that barrier is gone.

The Mobilité Douce Paradox

Geneva, and Nyon, and many other cities, are so busy re-designing road infrastructure that they found ways to spend their budgets without considering pedestrians at all. In Nyon pedestrians are forgotten. My walks were demolished, quite literally.

The planners don’t walk. The Construction workers don’t walk. Yesterday, on my way into Nyon, five planners, in high vis vests were standing, blocking the pavement whilst discussing what to do. If planners, the “intellectuals” of a project don’t see the issue, then neither will the construction workers. In the end they’re playing lip service to public opinion, rather than listening to it, rather than working on experiencing the strengths and weaknesses of their approach.

Heavy Traffic as the Route Problem

The problem in Geneva, and Nyon, and plenty of other places, isn’t the herd of cyclists, or the pedestrian walking by the side of the road. It’s heavy car traffic. With light traffic, the herd of cyclists is inconvenient but overtaking is quite easy. With a pedestrian walking by the side of the road, between Signy and Borex the issue isn’t the pedestrian, or cyclist, walking along the narrow road. it’s heavy traffic in both directions getting in the way of itself.

That stress leads to drivers being more aggressive, and it is pedestrians, and cyclists that suffer. If we could walk between villages we wouldn’t need a car. If we had frequent buses, we wouldn’t need a car. If traffic density was light, then the car would be used for special occasions rather than every day.

The Countryside Issue Urbanised

I stopped walking in the countryside because of the lack of safe walking infrastructure. That’s why I walked into Nyon. That’s why I found several nice loops to walk along. The problem, now, is that on every walk I am forced into conflict with traffic, through no choice of my own, due to road works. That’s why, ironically, cycling becomes the best solution.

On a bike you expect to encounter traffic, on a bike you can get through pinch points within seconds. On a bike, especially in an urban environment, you are as fast, if not faster than cars, until you get fatigued. Paradoxically the road works that once separated buses and bicycles from traffic are now forcing them back together. The quiet path that went from Grand Saconnex towards the Parliamentary Union is now a heavy traffic road, no longer as pleasant for cyclists.

Regular Affordable Buses and Bike Sharing

When I was riding back from a Geneva group ride, via Crans I noticed that there are [VOI bikes]. Voi bikes are bike sharing, in my use case, for people that want the flexibility of a bike, without the risk of theft of using a personal bike. With a Voi bike you rent it per minute, at 45 Centimes per minute, The faster you are, the cheaper it is. The cruel irony is that it’s more expensive than the bus, for some journeys, at some speeds, but at least you don’t fear having your bike stolen.

With the undermining of walkability this becomes more interesting. It doesn’t require a car. It doesn’t require waiting for a bus. It doesn’t put your road bike at risk from theft. As long as your destination is next to one of their parkings this is an interesting alternative.

The Skimmer’s Summary

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to cycle, with a group, to Hermance. This is a destination I had several dozen times, as a scuba diver. It has a special place in my heart. I grew tired of going there, in the end, but I still have good memories of heading there with diving friends, or buddies, if you prefer.

Going by car is a waste of time and energy, given that there are so many beaches along the way, but with a bike the route is the experience.