Opening bicycle ramp at Laval station (FR)

The new south bicycle ramp at Laval station was inaugurated on 4^th of  June and is now open to the public. Designed by Ney & Partners, at the invitation of Richez_Associés, the structure extends the long-term transformation of Laval’s multimodal transport hub and strengthens accessibility within a rapidly evolving station district. Connected to the existing footbridge over the railway tracks, the ramp restores a smooth and safe route for active mobility between the station’s north and south forecourts. It improves the cycling link between the city centre and the Pommeraies district, two urban areas historically separated by the railway corridor. Set within a landscaped and planted environment, the new structure offers a distinctive experience of movement: cyclists ride at canopy level, where infrastructure, landscape and everyday use converge. Developed on a particularly constrained site, the ramp is based on a simple and legible structural concept. Almost 140 m long and 3 m wide, it consists of a prefabricated reinforced concrete ribbon supported by a series of steel frames. Their geometry echoes the timber roof of the existing footbridge, creating an architectural continuity between the two structures. With this precise and measured intervention, Laval station gains a soft-mobility connection that is accessible, durable and conceived not only as transport infrastructure, but also as a new public space. Copyright photo: Ney & Partners.