“We have the impression of being herded like goats in a pen. Just that, am I an outlaw? “wonders Bastien ironically in front of the Caupona Taverne bar in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin). The 34-year-old is indeed out of the area delimiting the terrace to smoke a cigarette, pint of beer in hand. On the cobblestones, large white lines surround the forty places installed in front of this tavern on the Grand-Rue.
“The idea is for better cohabitation in the tourist streets of Strasbourg between bar customers, pedestrians, cyclists and also emergency vehicles. Sometimes it was a bit of anarchy,” explains Pierre Ozenne, deputy mayor of Strasbourg in charge of shared spaces. Since the beginning of August, white lines 5 m wide have been painted on the sidewalks to delimit the terraces of cafes and restaurants on three arteries in the city center.
“We have the impression of being policed”
And beware of non-compliance with the rules, warns Pierre Ozenne: “Our agents patrol to see if restaurateurs and cafeterias respect this measure. For the moment, we are not drawing up a fine but, in the long term, sanctions could be envisaged. »
White stripes that surprise Denis Reçi, the manager of the PNY Strasbourg restaurant, located on Grand-Rue: “We don’t need the town hall to know the rules for installing terraces in public spaces. There, we have a little the feeling of being policed, especially since these painted lines are very unsightly in a district classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. »
For the moment, this experiment is being carried out in three streets but it could extend to other arteries in the city center of Strasbourg in the coming weeks.