Aurélien Bigo, researcher associated with the “energy and prosperity” chair, is the author of a thesis published in 2020, devoted to “transport facing the challenge of energy transition”.
How far can cycling in France go?
At the start of 2020, in France, each person cycled an average of 100 kilometers per year, or 300 meters per day, which represents 0.6% of the total kilometers traveled. The practice is around ten times lower than in the Netherlands, which illustrates the margins for improvement. In 2020, cycling has gained a lot, but even in Strasbourg, Grenoble or Bordeaux, the maximum potential is not reached. Not to mention the towns of 3000 inhabitants where everyone takes their car for all journeys.
How is this explained?
In these places, there is no infrastructure, no specific parking for bicycles, no repairers. Nobody wants or even the idea of pedaling. Even sports cycling enthusiasts do not choose the bicycle to get around. In France, according to INSEE, 42% of people who work less than a kilometer from home drive there.
If France pedaled like the Netherlands, would that be enough to lower CO emissions?2 ?
No. If the distances traveled by bicycle were multiplied by ten, this would only lead to a reduction of 6% in greenhouse gases due to mobility.
So how do we do it?
For two hundred years, each person has consistently made three to four journeys a day, all modes of transport combined, and devotes an average of one hour to them. However, the car has multiplied by ten the speed and the kilometers traveled. Distances should be reduced, replacing long journeys by car with short journeys by bicycle. By favoring local shopping rather than distant shopping, people have access to the same goods, but with fewer kilometers. These changes in behavior involve abandoning the mobility system structured around the all-powerful and fast car. This requires a different allocation of mobility subsidies, as well as a restructuring of space, in favor of cycling and to the detriment of motorized modes. The period we are living in may be contributing to this.
Can we bet on new modes of transport?
Yes, starting with the electric bicycle, of which 50 to 70% of new users had previously traveled by car. There are also intermediate machines that go faster than a bicycle and carry loads, without consuming as much energy or taking up as much space as a car. This is the case of the velomobile, covered with a fairing which gives it a certain aerodynamics. The object is still little known. To create the offer and increase its visibility, a regional executive could initially offer around fifty for rent.
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