A L ’ EN
March 2012 , Government House : the Mauritian Parliament votes on the Sustainable Mobility Bill . Ridiculed by cynics , this ambitious multifaceted bill aims to amend the Road Traffic Act to include provisions for cycle lanes and pedestrian walkways , strengthen the highway code and , in the next budget , introduce incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles , among other things .
The sniggerers give the authorities a year before they abandon the idea . Naysayers and purveyors of misinformation are doing their worst , faced by this drastic change . But here we are : the bill has won the majority of votes and passed into law . Although the attention of international bodies is usually hard to come by , this bold act of disruption has secured the necessary funding . A Green Loan from the right , a donation from the left , a strategic partnership in the bag ... the machine is in motion . Who ’ s laughing now ?
2014 is the year that charging points spring up along the motorways . Powered by photovoltaic panels , of course ! In 2015 , a new road landscape takes shape , with cycle lanes in every city and green corridors offering shaded pedestrian walkways . By 2019 , the statistics speak for themselves : 70 % of vehicles sold are 100 % electric . And in 2023 , what could our daily lives be like ?
1On se sent bien plus en sécurité
Feeling much safer
Les rues anciennement désertes , même en pleine journée , sont maintenant passantes . Les effectifs de sécurité sont déployés en conséquence . Résultat ? Les femmes se sentent beaucoup plus à l ’ aise pour circuler en métro comme à pied , en short ou robe d ’ été . Moins de policiers étant monopolisés par le trafic incessant , ils veillent au grain . Les proches des Néandertaliens calment donc leur ardeur à témoigner leur émoi à coup de sons d ’ animaux et de gestes grossiers . Les parents , sereins , respirent : le petit déjeuner en amoureux a remplacé les embouteillages pour déposer les enfants à l ’ école . Ils prennent le métro , le vélo , ou y vont à pied !
Streets that used to be deserted , even in the middle of the day , are now busy . Police are deployed accordingly . The result ? Women feel much more at ease on the metro or on foot , in shorts or a summer dress . With police less monopolised by incessant traffic , those who still behave like Neanderthals are less eager to express their feelings through animal sounds and rude gestures . Parents breathe a sigh of relief : breakfast with their loved ones has replaced the morning routine of traffic jams on the way to drop their children off at school . Now , they take the metro , cycle , or walk !
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