The Minister of Solidarity and Ecological Transition, invited to Franceinfo Tuesday May 12, wants to take advantage of the period “to install a bike culture in France”.
While some 1,000 kilometers of temporary cycle paths have been deployed in a few days in France and the bicycle appears to be one of the means of transport most suited to physical distance that will have to be maintained for long months yet, the Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Elisabeth Borne, called on Tuesday May 12 on Franceinfo to take advantage of these circumstances “to set up a cycling culture in France“. “I tell you clearly, I will do everything possible to boost this mode of travel“, she said.
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“Cycling, I am convinced that it is a mode of travel that is very good all year round, and in particular for this period of deconfinement”, said Elisabeth Borne, after hailing the responsibility of the French in the aftermath of the first day of gradual deconfinement on May 11.
One would have thought that there would be monster traffic jams. Yesterday, we had six times less traffic jams than a normal Monday. So that means that everyone has been responsible.at franceinfo
Fewer cars on the road, a good opportunity to help the bicycle to develop, for the Minister of Solidarity and Ecological Transition. “My ambition was to triple the share of cycling by 2024. And we started with 3% of trips. That is to say, very, very low. Indeed, I think we can really speed up, save several years on this objective of 10% of bicycle journeys“, estimated Elisabeth Borne, who recalled the initiatives of her government – a repair of your bike up to 50 euros, and a plan to quickly deploy temporary bike paths.
As of Monday, more than 500 individual bikes have already been repaired by one of the 3,000 repairers listed on the FUB website, the Federation of Bicycle Users. “It’s really very simple, you go to your repairer, he deducts 50 euros from you that are effectively paid by the State under this plan “, explained Elisabeth Borne, before drawing up an initial assessment of the new cycle paths deployed in recent days in France.
“There are almost 1,000 km of temporary cycle paths that have been deployed all over the country. Really, they are beautiful cycle paths, they are not simple bicycle nonsense as we have seen sometimes. And then, it is especially also cuts which existed for decades which were lifted. I think for example of the track which one carried out bridge of Neuilly to access Defense. It has been decades that all the cyclists of Île-de-France claimed it“, detailed the minister.
What is great is that in a few months, we will have gained several years of cycling policy and I think we can really take a step to install a bike culture in France.at franceinfo
The Minister recalled that many trips between home and work in France that were done today by car could be done by bicycle. “And there, it is a good opportunity, out of confinement, where we may have been lacking in physical activity too, to get back on the bike “said Elisabeth Borne, who praised the work of several communities who have set up temporary bike paths. “I welcome the action, of course, of all the local elected officials who have set up these temporary tracks. Bravo to Paris! Well done to Toulouse and well done to Lyon, to all those cities that are setting up these temporary cycle paths “said Elisabeth Borne.
