Cycling in Île-de-France: a vision

In concrete terms, what is the role of Île-de-France Mobilités in terms of cycling?

Christian Gioria : Our objective at Île-de-France Mobilités is toenable Ile-de-France residents to create the mobility that suits them, to provide them with an integrated, global response to their transport needs.

Metro, bus, tram, train or bicycle: the ambition is the same. In terms of bicycles, we are doing our bit in terms of parking, services and purchase assistance. We are also working on our mobile application so that it integrates this subject more and more.

Is it really the role of a transport organising authority to get involved in the development of cycling?

Cycling is a "normal" mode of mobility that must interface naturally with other modes of transport. In Finland, even at -20 degrees, people ride bikes. In Seville, Spain, despite 40 degrees in summer, people ride bikes. Cycling is not linked to favourable weather, to a spirit of the times... It's just a matter of public policy. So, yes, the development of cycling is absolutely within the scope of Île-de-France Mobilités.

Does this mean that tomorrow we will all be cycling in Île-de-France?

In any case, there is now a strong demand in Île-de-France for cycling. A request supported by the Île-de-France Region, moreover, with the development of the Île-de-France Bike Network, a network of 9 cycle paths that will connect the major centres of the region. Until a few years ago, few people considered cycling to work. But recent events (strikes, health crisis), coupled with a strong desire to develop infrastructure, have unblocked the practice. The Ile-de-France residents have taken the plunge. And lastingly.

We can see this clearly when we measure the requests related to our bicycle lockers in the stations. Ile-de-France residents want more bike parks, but also improvements in the quality of service in these lockers and even the possibility of parking different types of bikes, such as cargo or extended bikes. We are delighted with this enthusiasm and we try to take these different needs into account.

But if I work away from home... I'm not going to cross the Île-de-France by bike on a daily basis?

Today , to get to work, 1 in 2 Ile-de-France residents travel less than 9 kilometres*. And that's good! Nine kilometres is the average distance covered by an electrically assisted bicycle (EAB), such as those offered by Véligo Location.

But above all, at Île-de-France Mobilités we believe in the power of intermodality and we work on a daily basis to facilitate the combination of train / RER + bike for longer journeys. And we have measured it: 1 in 6 Navigo subscribers who have abandoned their car in favour of the train have done so because cycling equipment is available in the station near their home.

What does the development of intermodality with cycling mean in concrete terms?

This involves increasing the number of bicycle parking spaces near train stations , with 140,000 bicycle parking spaces created throughout Île-de-France by 2030.

This means that visible facilities, positioned as close as possible to the passenger building, served by bicycle facilities.

This also involves diversifying the equipment with the provision of free free self-access parking, for occasional users, and secure lockers accessible by subscription (a free subscription with an annual subscription - editor's note) for people who would like to leave their bike overnight (this is particularly interesting for Ile-de-France residents who make the journey by bike from their arrival station to their place of employment and so leave their bikes at the station all night).

Developing intermodality and bicycle parking also means offering services – lockers to store helmets or rain capes, an inflation station, etc. But also security and a human presence to subscribe for short periods. This also involves the creation of ultra-capacity car parks in large stations, those that concentrate the maximum number of daily passengers.

What does the future hold for Véligo Location?

Véligo Location is a real success, everyone wants to keep their Véligo longer ! Launched at the end of 2019, our electrically assisted bike for rent has already won over 95,000 Ile-de-France residents! But this does not surprise me: a study, carried out before the launch, had established that 250,000 Ile-de-France residents were very interested in such a service. Launching a fleet of 250,000 bikes was unrealistic, but the number of Véligo bikes is growing. Today, we have 20,000 classic e-bikes and 1000 cargo bikes.

The idea, with Véligo Location, is to allow as many Ile-de-France residents as possible to test their (electrically assisted) cycling... before buying their own e-bike, if necessary, with the support of the purchase bonus.

* Source: ADEME, 2019 bicycle services study