France commits €250 million to encourage more cycling

More people in France purchased bicycles in 2021 compared to any other form of transport, and thanks to fresh funding that trend is likely to continue.

The government announced a fund of 250 million euros to get more people up and riding on bicycles. This new bike plan 2.0 comes on the heels of the country’s first Bike Plan launched just four years ago.

“Cycling is both accessible, ecological, good for health, it is also an asset for developing sports practice, and then, it is also an asset for our economy,” said French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne. “That’s why just four years ago, we launched the Bike Plan. So, with my predecessor, me, I was then Minister of Transport, the idea was to affirm that we wanted to be a cycling nation, and then also to provide the means to match this ambition.”

In an announcement made on the grounds of l’Hôtel Matignon, Borne explained that since the launch of the Bike Plan, France has created 14,000 kilometres of new trails and 170,000 French youths have received a diploma from the country’s program to teach people how to ride bikes.

“What we can say today is that this plan was a real success. We have both greatly developed the practice of cycling and we have in particular, in 2021, it is the best-selling means of transport thanks to the aid that has been put in place for the repair and then for the acquisition of bicycles,” she said. “We have made a lot of progress on the development of cycling infrastructure, it is obviously important for cycling to be done in complete safety.”

But, Borne isn’t done. She and the government’s goal with the new fund are to increase the number of young people learning to ride a bicycle to 800,000, to use the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games to showcase cycling in France and to create an entire cycling industry in France.

“I believe a lot in cycling given all the advantages I mentioned, and that’s why today I decided to launch a second Bike Plan,” she explained.

“We will maintain the support, the aid for the acquisition of bicycles. We even want to create a French cycling industry. The Minister of Industry is with us because he will carry this ambition, therefore both from assembly to recycling, with all that we can also create as jobs in repair. We will continue to develop cycling infrastructure.”

Borne also cited cycling as a lever in terms of health prevention. As a result of the number of areas upon which cycling can have such a positive impact, the French Prime Minister also struck a new interministerial cycling committee to develop the country further as a cycling nation.