Skip to main content

France: bicycle usage up in Ile-de-France in past 10 years

The number of bicycle trips in Ile-de-France, Paris, doubled to 650,000 trips between 2004 and 2014, according to the IAU, a local urbanisation think tank and policy adviser. Bicycles are used mainly for commuting to work and the average trip is 2km. In Paris, where bicycles were almost non-existent 15 years ago, they now make up 3% of trips in the city and 8% of work-home trips. But half of trips of less than 2km are still made in cars, the IAU noted. Despite an increase in bicycle usage, the number of
December 15, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The number of bicycle trips in Ile-de-France, Paris, doubled to 650,000 trips between 2004 and 2014, according to the IAU, a local urbanisation think tank and policy adviser.

Bicycles are used mainly for commuting to work and the average trip is 2km. In Paris, where bicycles were almost non-existent 15 years ago, they now make up 3% of trips in the city and 8% of work-home trips.

But half of trips of less than 2km are still made in cars, the IAU noted.

Despite an increase in bicycle usage, the number of accidents is stable, suggesting that it is safer to ride a bicycle now than a decade ago. The statistic also coincides with a police crackdown on drinking and driving.

The increase in bicycle usage also has come during the Velib bicycle rental scheme, launched in 2007. Velib – from velo for bicycle and  lib from liberty – has a fleet of 20,000 bikes and 1,800 rental stations around the city. Cyclists can pick up a bike from one of the stations and drop it back at any station they choose.

Related Content

  • Vysionics helps Scottish watchdog A9 Safety Group win CIHT award
    September 16, 2015
    An installation of SPECS3 average speed cameras from Vysionics has helped a Scottish road safety watchdog win an award The A9 Safety Group, which monitors traffic, accidents and driving habits and conditions along the A9 trunk road, picked up the John Smart Road Safety Award from the CIHT - Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. The CIHT is concerned with planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of land-based transport systems and infrastructure. A9 Safety won the award
  • Korean bridge construction poses challenges
    February 23, 2012
    On South Korea's southern coast, an innovative highway sea crossing is providing many engineering challenges
  • Korean bridge construction poses challenges
    April 5, 2012
    On South Korea's southern coast, an innovative highway sea crossing is providing many engineering challenges The new Busan-Geoje crosses from South Korea's second city to its biggest island and is slightly shorter than the 12km of the country's famous Incheon project. In addition the main cable stay bridge for the Busan-Geoje project has a 475m span rather than the 800m of the Incheon central span. However the 8.2km Busan-Geoje project faces perhaps greater technical challenges and also includes a second b
  • Auckland’s future strategic transport requirements
    July 5, 2012
    The Auckland Harbour Bridge is at the stage that it cannot cope with much more traffic, yet the population of the Auckland region continues to grow at a steady rate. Coupled with that, the bridge is a key link in the most important transport corridor in the country, State Highway One. Without it, the country would struggle to function. Not only home to New Zealand's largest city and one third of its population, Auckland's port is one of the country's largest. Some 140m north of the city is Marsden Point, th