On Being Able to Walk to a Recycling Centre

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For a few days I fled from the Caribana music festival because during this event it is impossible to sleep due to noise pollution. Switzerland, despite being so strict about other forms of noise pollution is lax about the noise pollution from music festivals. Most people plan holidays to flee it. I did too, but I still denounce it. Having said this I stayed in a small village half way up the Jura and was able to walk a short distance to recycle cardboard, cans and PET bottles.

If I want to walk to the local recycling centre for my ‘home’ I need to walk along a road, with no provision for pedestrians or cyclists. If I walk to the recycling centre I need to walk on a busy road, where people do the bare minimum to avoid cyclists and pedestrians, regularly enough for the most beautiful walks I can do from home, to be off limits.

Nyon, and Switzerland make a big deal about wanting to replace car use with cycling and walking, but if you want to walk, or cycle, you need to go along dangerous roads, with dangerous traffic, or drive, to get to where you can walk.

A Short Walk

The recycling centre is two and a half kilometres away, so it’s a very easy walk. The problem is that it’s along a main road with no foot paths or cycling lanes. If you want to walk to recycle you either walk in long grass, and risk picking up ticks if you’re wearing shorts, or getting your trousers soaked, if it’s early in the morning, or cars.

When I was in the village I could walk in a 30 zone, with markings on the ground where people should walk. I could go at any time between 0800-2000 or so. It’s open, self-service, so to speak, and convenient. As there are no opening hours it’s convenient.

Routine

I have recycled for decades by now. It’s routine. What is less routine is going to drop things off at the recycling centre. I usually wait a month between trips. I prefer to wait until I really need to go, and when it feels good to see a big chore done, rather than dribbles of recycling every now and then.

If I had a convenient recycling point I would take things to be recycled on every walk I do.

Unfriendly Roads

Between Signy and Eysins the road is wide, and there is a track left by people walking along a track in the grass, but it gets overgrown. Near Apples they have a gravel path for pedestrians, and potentially bikes too.

Between Signy and Borex they narrowed the road, and put edges to the road, to force cars to slow down. Traffic calming failed though. When cycling, and walking, because the road is narrow, cars shoot the narrows, to use a kayaking/canoeing term. They speed up to get through before another car comes from the other direction. Pedestrians and cyclists are endangered, which is why I no longer walk along that narrow secondary road that commuters love to use. It used to be a quiet road.

And Finally

I hear and see a lot about mobilité douce, and encouraging people to be active, and yet I see nothing to encourage people, living in villages, to leave their cars at home. Having a convenient recycling centre with a safe walking path would help. Having a local shop, or at least vending machine would help.

There is a nice five kilometre walk. If it was safe to do on foot then every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening, at rush hour, I could do it on foot with whatever needs to be recycled on that day. Due to the route being walk unfriendly it makes more sense to take the car. In my eyes this is an example of Nyon, and Vaud failing. Mobilité douce has to consider the needs and requirements of people living in villages, not just towns and cities.