A project in Gironde will build on a 2017 initiative to boost the number of school-age cyclists, which has resulted in 80% of pupils in some establishments using bicycles.
“The key has been to create safe cycle tracks, separated from roads, but also to have proper bike sheds in schools so bicycles can be left safely,” a spokeswoman for the department told The Connexion.
“It requires coordination between ourselves, who are responsible for most of the roads, but also with the communes and regions who are responsible for funding the building of the bike sheds.”
With 750 km of cycle routes already, Gironde claims to have more cycle paths than any other department, with many, like the one which runs down its coast, aimed at tourists.
“We want to increase the number of cycle paths which can be used by residents for daily life,” the spokeswoman said.
Secure parking
“Having secure cycle lanes and increasing the availability of secure bicycle parking are key parts of this – no one wants to cycle to work and then find their bicycle has been stolen when they want to go home.”
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Trials of individual “bike bins” are planned – where bicycles can be stored horizontally with a sliding, lockable door to secure them.
The project will go into consultation stage until June, and will then move into a series of seminars in September to identify priority routes.
By October, committees should be set up to secure financing so that the project can go before a full session of the council in December for a vote on whether it will go ahead.
In a separate initiative, a group of local councils along the line of a 46 km, disused railway between Bordeaux and Lacanau are starting to campaign for its re-opening, either for trains or a tramway.
The line ran between 1954 and 1974, and since then a departmental, single-lane road has been the only link.
It is often very busy at rush hour and during the holiday season.
Lacanau has grown as a tourist resort thanks to its world-class surfing and a popular golf course.
Councils pushing for the line’s re-opening say most of the original route can still be used, and the cost will be around €200million – cheap by most transport project standards.
It is not just Gironde which is seeing investment in cycle lanes – France has a development plan for the whole country, the aim of which is to provide a continuous network of long-distance cycle routes.
By 2030, the target is 26,115 km of cycle-friendly paths.
The network is also part of a set of European routes, known as EuroVelo, which will total 90,000 km when completed. Popular routes include the Vélodyssée (its French name), which links Norway to Portugal via France; and Roscoff (Finistère) to Hendaye (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), on the Spanish border.
Cycling tourism is booming in France, which lays claim to being the world's second most popular destination behind Germany. It hosts over nine million cycling holidays per year.
Local routes are also being prioritised, however, with greater thought being given to how they interact with existing road systems.
In Cherbourg, for example, one intersection is currently being transformed into an innovative ‘Dutch’ crossroad. The traffic lights will not disappear, but a cycle lane will allow cyclists to pedal around the junction.
Unfortunately, not all parts of France are proving quite so cycle-friendly. Last October, Lille became the latest city after Agen and Nice to issue new rules requiring that cyclists walk – instead of ride – through pedestrian streets in the town centre. Cyclists who do not comply are liable to a fine of €35-135.
