Illustration: Cycling in Strasbourg. – G. VARELA / 20 MINUTES
- The French Federation of bicycle users (FUB) unveiled this Thursday evening the long-awaited list of the most cycling cities, according to the opinions of practitioners.
- Among the big cities, from 100,000 to more than 200,000 inhabitants, the ranking has some surprises, since Strasbourg is no longer the most cycling city in France.
- The barometer also reflects, for the first year, a strong desire to develop cycling policies in medium and small cities.
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What are the most bicycle-friendly cities? The French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB), which holds its annual congress in Bordeaux, unveiled this Thursday evening
the long-awaited list of the most cycling cities from the point of view of those who pedal and there are some surprises in store. If the cities most adept at the little queen remain in good position, the ranking shuffles the cards a little and shows a particular appetite for cycling in medium-sized or small cities.
Strasbourg and Bordeaux outdated
If it tops the ranking of cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants, “Strasbourg is no longer the most cycling city in France”, underlines Olivier Schneider, president of the FUB, because its rating (4.02 out of 6) is a little below that of Grenoble (4.12 out of 6), which however does not play in the same category. The Alsatian capital remains a model for cycling policies in France which have been deployed with “30 years of experience”, creating real cycling habits among the inhabitants. However, for two years, he believes that users are a little disappointed and “are waiting to move towards something more ambitious”.
Nantes and Rennes come respectively in second and third positions, with a small progression from Rennes from 3.38 to 3.46. “In Nantes we are now consulted on major projects and our proposals are heard”, welcomes Annie-Claude Thiolat, from the Nantes association Place aux cycles. Paris, which goes from 3.16 to 3.24, arrives just after Rennes, tied with Bordeaux. “In the capital and in Grenoble, there is the capacity to establish ten-year bicycle development strategies,” appreciates Olivier Schneider.
The Girondist capital, which had won third place in 2017, has been overtaken by its western neighbor but remains at a good level. The ban on the stone bridge for cars made it the most used infrastructure by cyclists in France (12,000 crossings per day). “It was a courageous decision,” said Oliviert Schneider. But there are indeed more ambitious things, by better managing the squares, the intersections and by bringing connections, fluidity, and this is a criticism that can be addressed to many cities. ” “There is a lack of coherence which causes a certain discontinuity, in particular because the deliveries of installations are made by sections”, adds Orianne Hommet, coordinator of the Bordeaux association Vélo-cité.
An unprecedented appetite for small towns
If cyclists from 400 municipalities came forward to answer the FUB questionnaires in 2017, there were many more in 2019 with 768 municipalities represented in total. “This is the great novelty of the survey, says Olivier Schneider. There is a very wide appetite for future cyclists. This is very promising and it shows that the implementation of cycling policies would be very effective in these municipalities. “
Among these cities, stands out Saint-Lunaire, Breton seaside town of 2,500 inhabitants, which obtains the best score in the classification, all categories combined (4.47). Some 77 cyclists from this small town responded to the barometer and highlight the efforts of the municipality which, for example, widened the sidewalks to make it a trail shared by pedestrians and cyclists, installed bicycle parking lots, especially near the beaches. and organized awareness-raising operations in schools one week a year.
“Last year, a new housing estate was built in Saint-Lunaire and a bicycle path was planned to reach the elementary school,” said Bruno Câliné, president of the Dinard Emeraude by bicycle association. This is an example that shows that this type of arrangement has become a reflex and things are now done naturally. ” In the spring, a vélobus project, that is to say a bicycle organization of the school bus service by parents of pupils, should be launched in this town.
For the association, Saint-Lunaire is an example to follow to develop mobility throughout the community of municipalities. “There is already a desire to develop the sections between the entrances of municipalities to ensure continuity of cycling facilities between the hamlets,” said Bruno Câliné.
That is to say that the desire for cycling is no longer the preserve of urban dwellers but irrigates well to small French municipalities, whose implementation capacities are sometimes accelerated compared to large cities.
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