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French cyclists launch ‘bad parking’ photo competition on Twitter
The contest invites people to send in photos of poorly parked vehicles in Lyon, especially those in cycle lanes
The city of Lyon has launched a competition to find the worst-parked cars in the city, named “garé comme une merde”, which loosely translates as “parked like crap”.
The tongue-in-cheek competition has been launched by Lyon cycling association La Ville à Vélo Lyon Métropole on Twitter, and is intended to denounce drivers who park cars especially poorly in the Rhône (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) city.
La ville à vélo est fière d'ouvrir la 1ère édition du concours #GCUM d'or 🎗️ 2022.
— La Ville à Vélo Lyon Métropole (@LaVilleaVelo) March 18, 2022
Pendant 6 jours, votez pour votre image préférée dans chaque catégorie.
Le vote pour la gagnante toutes catégories confondues du titre de #GCUM d'or 🎗️ départagera ensuite les heureuses élues ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/yzCWyAUIJ4
Special mention will be given to those who park in cycle lanes, especially delivery vans and motorbikes.
The competition includes several categories, including vehicles badly parked in front of free dedicated parking spaces, badly parked vehicles that cause queues, badly parked cars in front of shops for “urgent stops” such as cigarettes or toilet breaks, or even those badly parked so drivers can have a chat.
There is also a category for “badly parked under police noses”, including cars parked incorrectly in front of police stations or near police cars.
Until March 24, members of the public, especially cyclists, are encouraged to post photos of badly parked vehicles and “nominate” them for categories via Twitter, using the hashtag #GCUM and tagging @LaVilleaVelo in the post.
Proposition #2: https://t.co/Z1Hzi2EBdn
— La Ville à Vélo Lyon Métropole (@LaVilleaVelo) March 20, 2022
Proposition #3 «#GCUM sous le nez de la police🚓(ou 🚓 gcum) »: https://t.co/JiNNTwYqPW
— La Ville à Vélo Lyon Métropole (@LaVilleaVelo) March 21, 2022
The competition has already provoked some backlash on Twitter, however, with some drivers pointing out that cyclist behaviour sometimes leaves a lot to be desired (including bikes on pavements and in pedestrian-only areas, bikes that run red lights, or bikes causing obstructions when locked on railings).
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