The bicycle has overtaken the car as a means of transport in Paris and is now behind walking and public transport, the French capital’s deputy mayor for mobility, David Beillard, said today with satisfaction.

“Ten years ago, who could have predicted that in Paris, the bicycle would overtake the car? And yet this happened”, he commented in his post on X.

According to a survey by the Institut Paris Région (IPR), carried out at the request of about 15 public and private organizations (state, region, municipal authority, transport authority, railway company…), “Parisians use the bicycle more”, which they choose fora 11.2% of movements “within the walls” “compared to the car” which collects a rate of 4.3%.

Walking, however, continues to dominate (53.5%)in front of public transport (30%).

In recent years, the space dedicated to cars has been reduced in Paris in order to favor pedestrian and bicycle traffic, for which the network of separated cycle paths has been greatly expanded.

During the Covid pandemic Parisians were encouraged to prefer bicycles for their transportation and thereby avoid overcrowding on public transport, which has boosted the use of bicycles.

The survey, conducted between October 2022 and April 2023, gathered the data of 3,337 residents of the Ile-de-France region, aged 16-80, who agreed to be monitored for one week by satellite, fill out a diary and respond by telephone.