A cyclist in Paris.

(Illustration) -

Clément Follain / 20 Minutes

  • Travel in Ile-de-France has been turned upside down in recent months.

    To see more clearly, the Paris Region Institute has gathered the most up-to-date information on the evolution of mobility.

  • “There is a real enthusiasm for cycling, but it must be tempered.

    We see that its use is determined by the seasonal effect, ”analyzes Dany Nguyen-Luong, director of the Mobility department at the Institute.

  • Carpooling "has become insignificant with 500 per day, in particular because journeys are no longer subsidized by Ile-de-France Mobilités and obviously because there is the fear of sharing a vehicle with a stranger".

Containment, deconfinement, curfew, re-containment… The movements of Parisians and Ile-de-France residents have never been so severely tested as in recent months.

While upsetting some old habits?

To see more clearly, the Paris Region Institute has, for the first time, decided to gather the most updated information on the evolution of mobility in Ile-de-France, from the pre-Covid-19 period until on the eve of the current confinement.

“The data will then be updated once a month, with an in-depth analysis every quarter,” explains Dany Nguyen-Luong, director of the Mobility department at the Institute, who answered questions from

20 Minutes

.

What major travel trends can we observe since the first confinement in Paris in Ile-de-France?

Since the end of the first confinement, there has been a gradual increase in public transport use, stabilizing at 65% in September.

And without this epidemic rebound, this rise would have continued, without however returning to normal attendance before Covid-19, given the teleworking practices that are developing.

With this second wave, the average attendance is now 35%, according to the latest figures.

But the drop remains less important than during the first confinement where traffic had fallen by up to 5%.

In recent months, we have talked a lot about the development of cycling in the capital.

What does it represent according to your data?

There is a real enthusiasm for cycling, but it must be tempered.

We see that its use is determined by the seasonal effect.

If we want to compare the use of the bicycle over time, we must compare over the same period, we cannot do it between spring and winter.

In any case, according to the figures, there was real growth between the end of containment and September and we even observe a doubling of traffic with a peak which is located in mid-September.

The runaway observed during sunny days was real but it tends to weaken with bad weather.

Note also that during the morning peak period, growth is lower than during the day.

This means that it is not the commute that has benefited the most from the use of the bicycle.

But rather on other reasons for travel such as leisure.

How will this practice fit into a longer time frame?

It's hard to say.

We must wait for the return of good weather.

Again, you should not compare from month to month, but from year to year.

According to your calculations, the kilometers of traffic jams have been increasing for several months, does that mean that people are finally turning more to their cars?

The kilometers of traffic jams are an indicator of road congestion but not necessarily of traffic.

But, in any case, yes, the kilometers of traffic jams have gradually increased since the confinement to return at the beginning of July to its usual level before Covid-19.

And there is even an atypical level of congestion above normal in mid-September.

And another in October.

What are the reasons for these peaks?

Weather conditions and bad weather.

It was a rainy week and we know that the rain is a cause of increased traffic jams.

For October, it was the day before the second confinement.

That day, the road network reached an almost historic peak in traffic jams.

It was 2.5 times higher than normal.

There are those who went to make prevention purchases, those who went to look for business in the office, those who went to go green, those who came back.

October 29, 2020 is the record for the second busiest day in Ile-de-France after a day of heavy snowfall in 2018.

And what about carpooling which seems to be in free fall?

Carpool trips were marginal before the Covid-19.

They represented only 5,000 trips per day in Ile-de-France out of the 15 million car trips per day.

There was a peak at 18,000 during the strike period last winter but it fell during confinement and it is struggling to resume.

It has become insignificant with 500 per day, in particular because the trips are no longer subsidized by Ile-de-France Mobilités and obviously because there is the fear of sharing a vehicle with a stranger.

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