New infrastructure, massive development of secure parking solutions, strengthening of the bicycle ecosystem … the number of bicycle plans in French cities is increasing. The common objective is to reduce traffic congestion and pollutant emissions. Paris is certainly one of the most active cities today in terms of cycling facilities. After a first bicycle plan between 2015 and 2020 and €150 million invested, the city hall has inducted “Act 2” for the period 2021-2026 with a budget of €250 million and the desire to make the capital a 100% bikeable city.
Paris is not the only city with an ambitious bicycle plan. Lyon, for example, has created nearly 400 km of bicycle roads throughout its urban area. A very ambitious network, whose construction is to be spread out until 2030. They will be called “Lyon roads”, a modest reference to the “Roman roads”, which have marked the landscape of the Lyon region for 2000 years and also nowadays. The majority of these routes will be separated from road infrastructure and pedestrian spaces, and will be wide enough to facilitate passing between bicycles, including cargo bikes. The roads will therefore be, in the majority of cases, between 3 and 4 meters wide, and they will be identifiable by a specific color.
The roads should thus reconcile users with the bicycle, and above all allow them to use them without difficulty and in complete safety with children. These cycle routes will also connect to the stations of many municipalities in the metropolis. In the case of Lyon, for example, the famous “Lyon roads” will be connected to each other, but will also link the surrounding municipalities such as Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d’Or, Albigny-sur-Saône, Ecully or Oullins. The increase in the number of bicycle roads is intended to encourage residents to use bicycles as a means of getting around the city. The city of Lyon hopes to triple the number of bicycle trips by 2026 compared to 2020.