Gold medal for Grenoble, silver for Strasbourg and bronze for Rennes: such is the podium, revealed on Thursday February 10, of the major cities best equipped for cycling, according to the third edition of the “Barometer of cycling cities”. This list, published by the French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB), which brings together 471 local associations, was established from the 277,000 responses obtained, in the fall of 2021, to an online survey comprising twenty-six questions .
Grenoble therefore retains first place, acquired, passing Strasbourg, during the last edition of the “Barometer”, in 2020. In the Isère town led by Eric Piolle (Europe Ecologie-Les Verts), the 3,000 respondents to the questionnaire ( 2% of the population) rent ” comfort “ cycle paths, the democratization of the use of bicycles and “the efforts made by the municipality”. On the other hand, they deplore the risk of bicycle theft or “the parking of motor vehicles on cycle routes”.
Disappointment for Paris
In the top 10 are eight municipalities led by environmentalists (Annecy, Lyon, Tours) or socialists (Rennes, Nantes), and only two – Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) and Angers – acquired by the presidential majority.
On the other hand, the prize list is a disappointment for Anne Hidalgo (Socialist Party): Paris, which had progressed a lot between the 2018 and 2020 editions, is not among the top ten major cities. The 9,200 Parisian respondents admittedly note a slight improvement in conditions compared to 2020, but deplore a stagnation of the efforts of the municipality, an accentuation of conflicts of use between cyclists and pedestrians and a deterioration of the “comfort” cycle paths, which, it is true, are much busier than two years ago. “In the capital, progress has stopped and the promises of a complete cycle network are slow to materialize”reacts the militant association Paris in the saddle.
Among the “medium-sized towns”, with between 15,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, La Rochelle, where the first self-service “yellow bikes” were deployed in 1976, takes first place. As the city gradually limits access to downtown streets to cars, cyclists say they feel safe there. Bourg-en-Bresse and Chambéry, whose elected officials strongly encourage the use of bicycles, complete the podium.
It is in this category, medium-sized towns, that the bicycle is least taken into account by elected officials, observes the FUB. However, “The severe ratings reflect very high expectations from citizens, who are just as demanding” than in metropolitan areas. Smaller cities, as well as towns, develop infrastructures dedicated to cycle tourism which end up serving the inhabitants.
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