Angers city shoukd organize a sporting event on the Maine river as it already planned others for runners and bikers

Angers want its inhabitants to move. Two events planned in May illustrate the desire of the city to lead the people take the place of cars, at least for a while. The change came about 25 years ago with the implementation in downtown of pedestrian streets. With the arrival of the streetcar, a symbolic space of Angers will be now prohibited to cars : the Ralliement square, the core of the city.

Few by few, the pedestrians and bikes are gaining ground and the events planned in May are symbolic of that. There was the first bike party, on May the 14th. Angers wants to help the people to renew links with bike use arguing it's good for planet and good for wallet... And, on May the 29th, the city organizes

for the second time urban races on the two banks of the Maine along 26 km, some of them exceptionnaly accessible to runners.

Pedestrians and bikers will be on the forefront and that's good. But is it sufficient? If towhall wants to reunify the city, it should organize an event on its main, and more ancient, way of communications : the Maine river. In order to attract people a competition of rowing could take place there, as Oxford and Cambrige universities compete every year. That's moreover could give sense to the new brand Angers Loire Valley because Maine and Loire are close each from the other. And it would be so British...

(Credit picture Angers Nautique Aviron)