Case Study
Moving within the periurban park of the Arche de la Nature
Contact name
Anne HUGER
Institution name
Le Mans Métropole - ARCHE DE LA NATURE
Region & country
France
Summary
L’Arche de la Nature is a 500 ha periurban park nearby the city of Le Mans, crossed by 2 roads and with 6 parking lots around its edges. Traffic inside the site is not allowed for motor vehicles. The site is organized around 3 themed houses; 2 are accessible directly from public transport or by car, the third requires a walking time of around 20 minutes.
To facilitate movement within the site, but also to facilitate the arrival of visitors by public transport, l’Arche de la Nature has set up a bicycle rental service, accessible from the entrance served by public transport.
Besides, the park also offers to people in wheelchairs the rental of the so-called “3 wheel” armchairs, suitable for “all terrain” circulation (“forest” type paths).
Le Mans Métropole
Le Mans Métropole
Le Mans Métropole
Le Mans Métropole
Background of the project
There was no service offered, visitors had to travel by their own means. Those who did not have a car, visited part of the park, from the entrance served by public transport, but not the entire park.
People in wheelchairs did not come because of the damages caused to their wheelchairs.
The need to:
• offer a model of smooth mobility, fast, and addressed to all types of users.
• make the entrance of the park accessible by public transport.
• offer an alternative for people in wheelchairs.
• offer affordable prices
Solution and actions taken
• We have implemented a rental service for bikes of all kinds (mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, children’s bikes, tandems, with or without electric assistance)
• We have provided all-terrain wheelchairs (3rd wheel, reinforced shell, suitable tires) suitable for the park terrain
• We have subcontracted a society that promotes integration of long-term jobless people to run this mobility service.
• We have made available a large room-workshop
• We have allocate funds to promote investments + an operating grant
• The mobility service also deals with communication.
Other institutions or parties involved
A society that promotes social integration for peoples away from work.
Results
The mobility service works well and is now developing towards electrically assisted bikes. It still needs to be better known and valued, in addition to an incentive to come by public transport.
Challenges
We must constantly disseminate the availability of this mobility service (all the time, not just at the beginning).
Today, more and more people have their own bike, which reduces the rental turnover, and therefore questions about the viability of the operation. We have to think about other complementary services.
Lessons learned
– communication is primary (especially for specific services, like all-terrain wheelchairs)
– always think to the future, to other ideas, to next needs
Contact name
Anne HUGER
Institution name
Le Mans Métropole - ARCHE DE LA NATURE
Website(s)
