France: bicycle surpasses the car as a means of transport

The bike outperformed car as a means of getting around Parisin full efforts of the city to promote the sustainable mobility, according to a study, which places them behind public transport and walking.

“10 years ago, who could have predicted that in Paris the bicycle would surpass the car? Well we have done it”the Mobility Councilor, David Belliard, congratulated himself this Thursday on the social network X.

The study carried out by the Institut Paris Région (IPR), at the request of public and private institutions, indicates that “Parisians use bicycles more” when traveling in the capital “than they use cars.”

With a 11.2% and 4.3% respectively, both modes of transport are behind walking, the majority with a 53.5%, and public transportation (30%), according to the study.

The bicycle also surpasses the car when traveling between Paris and its nearest suburbs, with a 14% In front of a 11.8%. A 66.1% of citizens take public transportation and a 5.5% They decide to walk.

But outside of Paris, the car prevails on journeys between the different parts of its region, notes the report, which points to a “dependence car”.

The authorities are currently promoting a plan for 200 kilometers of metro lines known as the Grand Paris Express, which seeks to connect the suburbs of Paris with public transport and reverse the trend.

The study, carried out between October 2022 and April 2023, collected data from 3,337 citizens of the region between 16 and 80 years old who agreed, among others, to be followed by satellite for a week.

Paris, led by socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, has as one of its priorities reducing car space to the benefit of pedestrians and bicycles.

In 2021, Paris had more than 1,000 kilometers of facilities adapted for cyclists, including more than 300 kilometers of lanes, but its goal is a “100% city” bicycle-friendly by 2026.

On the occasion of the Olympic Games, scheduled for July 26 to August 11, the authorities promoted the construction of more lanes to allow bicycle access to the Olympic venues.

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