St Julien en Genevois to Geneva bicycle

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1
Hi,

I will be moving to Geneva and working around the Onex/Lancy area. I plan to live around St Julien so I would like to know if it is possible to commute daily using a bicycle instead of the main transport links such as bus or car.

From what i have researched it is a mere 7km which could be easily done in 20mins.

Appreciate any inputs from those who have more experience . Thanks.

D.

2
Not at the moment. With the border crossing closures you have to travel via the Bardonnet crossing. Provided you have the right paperwork.

3
Normally cycling from St. Julien area to both Onex and Lancy is perfectly feasible, and there are dedicated cycle paths most of the way. 20 minutes sounds about right if you're coming from the town centre.

The roads in and around Geneva can be pretty busy though so you'll need to take care as swiss/french drivers aren't known for their respect of traffic rules at times!

As bowlie has already pointed out at the moment several of the smaller crossings are closed so you'll need to check the St. julien one (personally I'd be surprised if it was shut as it's one of the main border crossings) and you'll need the correct paperwork for both directions, a letter from your employer stating that your job is essential to enter Switzerland, and proof of residency such as a services bill to then re-enter France.

PS; I've checked the Route de St. Julien crossing you'd probably take when cycling towards Onex and Lancy (Perly) and it's open seven days a week, 6am-7pm. Bardonnex is open 24/7.

4
Even if the border is operational, you won't be allowed across unless you're an essential worker. Even as the lock-down is slowly removed from 27 April, there will certainly still be restrictions. Indeed the Genevan authorities are very concerned about trans-border workers and the potential lines at the border post-27 April.

There's a 100 CHF fine for attempting to cross the border into Switzerland if you aren't authorized to do so and if you get nabbed by the French on the French side without justification to travel, they'll get you for 135 € (for once Switzerland is a bargain compared to France).

5
Wow thanks.

I just did some more research and found the geneva carte velo.

Very helpful. Appreciate the all the replies.

D.

6

Depending on when you plan to move better check with the French embassy/consulate whether you’d be allowed to take up residency in France in the current situation. My guess is the answer would be no. Since you would be working in Switzerland, they’ll probably say you should live here too - at least until restrictions on inter-country movement are eased.

When is this planned to happen? Because atm even an employment contract isn’t going to get you into Switzerland.

7
On the practicalities of cycling (assuming the job, residency etc is sorted) the ride will be fine, there are cycling paths parallel to some of the main roads or you can also go via the backroads, through vineyards and woodland for a change and depending exactly where you're aiming for.

The only thing is the winter, there will be some mornings with ice on the roads or when it's just bitterly cold. You can dress up etc but might just prefer to get the bus. There's supposed to be a tram extension being built to "Saint Ju" but I've moved away and don't know where things are.

8
The extention to the St. Julien tram route was scheduled to start building around now but has been delayed several times for various reasons. It will start at Pallettes, go along the Route du Base and then up through Perly, direction Saint Julien. It was originally scheduled to be started by the end of this year but the start date has now been delayed by ~a year. Possibly finished in 2025-7?

Not that many vineyards and woods really left between St. Ju and Onex but taking the back roads is certainly an option.... depending on the start and finish points.

The D bus runs every 12-15 mins from the centre of St. Ju, changing at Bachet will get the OP to both Lancy or Onex if the weather's too grotty to cycle.

9
You could also cycle alongside the river aire on the foot/cycle and/or back roads that follow it the whole way to lancy. It's pretty direct that way too with no traffic / lights etc.