Elisabeth Borne presents an ambitious cycling plan to decarbonise transport

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: ERIC BERACASSAT / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 16:19 pm, May 05, 2023

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne presented on Friday an ambitious cycling plan that provides for 2 billion euros of investment until the end of the five-year term to improve infrastructure and promote cycling in order to contribute to the decarbonization of transport in France.

"While half of car trips are less than five kilometers, the bike must have its place" to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, insisted Elisabeth Borne during an introductory speech at the government seminar to present the 2023-2027 bike and walking plan.

€1.25 billion investment

The Prime Minister, Minister Delegate for Transport at the beginning of Emmanuel Macron's first five-year term, had already presented a bicycle plan in 2018. Endowed with 300 million euros over seven years, it had finally been recalibrated to 500 million euros over five years thanks to credits from the post-Covid recovery plan.

"We have built 17,000 kilometres of additional cycle paths and greenways" in the last five years, Elisabeth Borne said. Since 2019, "ridership of bicycle infrastructure has increased by a third," she added. This new cycling plan therefore plans to continue the work begun and to accelerate it. One of the objectives is to "better combine the use of bicycles with public transport.

Intermodality is one of the great challenges we face," insisted the Prime Minister. The majority of planned investments will therefore focus on the development of secure infrastructure and cycle routes to ensure the safety of cyclists, to the tune of €1.25 billion, or €250 million per year.

A desire to develop the industrial bicycle sector

The government wants to establish a dialogue with local authorities "to mobilize 6 billion euros for cycling by the end of the five-year term". Apart from the development of infrastructure, the plan plans to train 850,000 children per year in cycling by 2027 to develop cycling culture in the country.

"We also aim to better develop the tourism and service potential related to cycling," said Elisabeth Borne. Finally, the France wishes to develop the bicycle industry. Nearly 2.9 million bicycles were sold in France in 2022, twice as many as cars.

"Last year, 850,000 bicycles were assembled - on the territory - we want to reach 1.4 million by 2027 and 2 million bicycles per year by 2030," said Elisabeth Borne.