In Paris, the bicycle overtakes the car in terms of travel speed
The rise of bicycles in the capital and its suburbs
The bicycle is gaining increasing popularity as the preferred mode of transportation for daily commutes, even surpassing the automobile in the Paris region. A recent survey conducted by the Paris Region Institute, based on responses from more than 3,300 individuals, provides interesting insights into this evolution.
Figures that speak volumes
In Paris, 11% of journeys are made by bicycle, surpassing the 9% made by car. In the heart of the city, bicycles account for 11% of travel as opposed to only 4% for cars, with walking still dominating at 53%.
The trend is similar between the capital and the surrounding areas, where bicycles reach 14%, while public transport remains predominant with 66%.
In the Petite Couronne (inner ring of Paris suburbs), the bicycle enjoys a respectable share but remains underused outside this area with only 4% of journeys, perhaps due to a lack of cycling infrastructure.
A typical cyclist profile
The average profile of a cyclist in the Île-de-France has been identified: predominantly male (70%), often with a high socio-professional status (11% for higher professions, which is twice as much as other categories), aged between 26 to 45 years (10% vs. 5% among seniors), and with an average journey time of 22 minutes. This usage is more concentrated on weekdays with an 8% modal share compared to 4-5% on weekends.
“Vélotaf,” a growing practice
The study highlights the predominant use of bicycles for work-related travel, with 13% using them for home-to-work commutes in Île-de-France, while public transport accounts for 45% and cars 33%. Despite this, intermodality, which involves using multiple means of transport for the same journey, remains marginal for bicycles: they account for only 3.8% when combined with the RER or train, far behind the bus-metro-tram combination, which represents 77%.
Obstacles to overcome for sustainable mobility
The progress of bicycles as a means of transport is hampered by the challenge of storing bicycles in public transport or by the inadequacy of dedicated infrastructure beyond the Petite Couronne.
Thus, despite significant adoption in the urban core, the amplification of its use will require substantial efforts in terms of planning and consideration of the needs of cyclists.