ZFE: Perrin-Gilbert deplores a debate weighed down by the "morality" of environmentalists

On the ZFE, Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert is killing two birds with one stone in a municipal campaign she launched with the need to differentiate herself from environmentalists and the Inoumis. "The issue is worth more than political maneuvering, deserves better than squabbling on social media with remote challenges. I don't want to get involved in that game but to give a well-constructed position," she says in the preamble, referring to the exchanges between Anaïs Belouassa, Insoumise MP for Lyon, and the Doucet-Bernard duo.

She dismisses the two parties that, along with the Socialists, make up the Lyon and metropolitan government. The former deputy for culture considers the ZFE tool relevant in matters of public health while denouncing the environmentalists' method. “ Waving a red flag means avoiding looking at the problem as a whole. We shouldn't focus on the tool. We can keep it, but let's adapt it. If it's socially unjust, we need to review it. We should all be mobilized to fight pollution and public health, but we're reaching deadlocks because we've gotten bogged down in the wrong debates. Yes, we need an ecological transition, but it shouldn't rely solely on individuals. It must be accompanied by public policies. In Lyon, we have a mayor who has taken a moral stand. There aren't good and bad residents, but the need to build a new model of cities. If the subject is so inflammatory, it's because we've chosen the wrong field,” she analyzes.

The campaigning candidate believes she can circumvent the ZFE problem by moving away from a car versus bike debate that she considers futile. As in 2020, she is putting free public transport back on the table. Or rather, the path to free public transport. If she wins in 2026, she would offer TCL subscriptions to those over 65. She also wants to experiment with free travel on December weekends and during pollution peaks or heatwaves. She promises to restart the construction of park-and-ride facilities with the goal of 2,500 spaces by 2030. As she had already announced, she will also establish a moratorium on Lyon's roads if she is elected mayor of Lyon: "Environmentalists are too much on the anti-car, pro-bike line. A mobility policy cannot be limited to that."

Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert also lists the consequences of a disruptive mandate on mobility: "We are moving towards a city of self-sufficiency for 25-45 year olds. There will be those who have good social capital and alongside charity for the poor. I want to restore diversity. Today, we no longer have ASTEMS, childcare workers or nursing assistants in retirement homes because they no longer have the means to live in Lyon and now to come here." While Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert began her term in office in the majority in both the City and the Metropolis, she clearly ends it at the gates of the opposition.