This Friday, Elisabeth Borne presented her new “bike plan”, which should further democratize the use of two-wheelers in France by 2027.
By Leo Rougagnou
© Bruno Levesque / MAXPPP / IP3 PRESS/MAXPPP
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2 Billions of Euro’s. This is the budget made available by the government for its new bicycle plan. Elisabeth Borne presented Friday, May 5 her strategy to boost the use of the bicycle in France. On the occasion of an interministerial committee, the Prime Minister presented the financial commitment of the State until 2027.
This is the third bicycle plan launched by Elisabeth Borne, after a first in 2018 (as Minister of Transport) and a second last September. And this time, the budget is much more ambitious. Something to delight Jean-Sébastien Catier, president of the Paris en selle association: “We see a real continuity in the involvement of the State in this project. In addition, the fact that it is worn by the Prime Minister shows the major nature of the subject. »
READ ALSO“The government has no strategy”: transport out of breathThe objective is to make the bicycle “an attractive alternative to the private car” and a means of transport “accessible to all, from an early age and throughout life”. “The State’s effort is unprecedented, massive and unprecedented,” said Transport Minister Clément Beaune, who intends to continue purchasing aid, build thousands of kilometers of cycle paths or train everyone in pedaling. primary school students.
Priority to rural areas, small and medium-sized towns
It is planned that the length of the network of cycle paths in France will be doubled by 2027. “The objective is to reach 80,000 km in 2027 and 100,000 km in 2030, explained Clément Beaune, at the rate of a commitment of 250 million euros each year. It is now the turn of local authorities and mayors to file applications to obtain state aid of 25 to 30%. As the major cities have already benefited from State resources, the priority of the new cycling plan is given to small and medium-sized towns as well as to rural areas.
“The challenge, now, is in the realization. We must ensure that these facilities are useful for cycling, warns Jean-Sébastien Catier. We should think about removing a few kilometers of tracks, and making well-designed routes, with more connections between the cities. »
Upgraded aid
Some aid, already present in the previous plan, will be renewed until 2027. As the State still has an envelope of 500 million, this budget will make it possible, from the autumn, to extend aid for the purchase second-hand bicycles, electric or not.
READ ALSODavid Belliard, Anne Hidalgo’s anti-car assistant? A household can benefit from 300 to 2,000 euros depending on their income and the equipment they are going to buy. Between 2017 and 2022, 76 million euros were paid to 300,000 French people. “We must not forget to continue to invest in the suburban areas, because they are the ones that lack the most,” says Jean-Sébastien Catier.
More secure parking lots
The French are often afraid to leave their bikes in the street, because of the risk of theft. The State provides for the financing of secure car parks, bicycle boxes and guarded parking areas. Stations also remain an issue. The government hopes to triple the number of security locations, to reach 90,000 places.
Learning from an early age
Since 2019, the “Know how to ride a bike” scheme, which allows 6-11 year olds to acquire the skills to cycle independently, has trained 200,000 children across France. Disappointing results. The objective has therefore been significantly revised upwards: 200,000 children for the year 2023 alone, to gradually reach 800,000 children. More than 6,000 supervisors still need to be trained.