There was no official release or statement, but the concerns were well and truly justified. The 304 million euros of the bicycle plan, intended to help communities develop cycle paths, will disappear in 2025. And the investments planned for 2024, frozen since February, will not be thawed, as detailed Reporterre on October 8.
The special rapporteur on transport issues, Christine Arrighi, brought a series of amendments to the Finance Committee of the National Assembly on October 30 to try to reverse course, alongside socialist and rebellious deputies. But all the amendments were rejected. « It's an absolute scandalthunders the environmentalist MP. The promises of a 2 billion euro cycling plan, made by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne in 2023, are evaporating. It is political speech that is totally discredited. »
Irony of political life, the Minister of Transport spoke almost at the same time in front of the senators, to sing the praises of the bicycle plan that his government was in the process of burying: « Much has been done by the State to secure and encourage cycling. »affirmed François Durovray.
Communities “ no longer have a penny »
Cycle paths are today largely financed by local authorities. This is the argument distilled by the executive to its interlocutors to justify the abandonment of the bicycle plan. « We are told that this mission is the responsibility of the communities, now that the State has “primed the pump” »regrets Thibault Quéré, director of advocacy for the Federation of Bicycle Users, after a meeting in Matignon on October 30.
The argument was taken up at the same time by the National Rally, to defend an amendment to definitively delete the bicycle plan, now void of all substance. Purely formal proposal, rejected by the Finance Committee.
The millions of euros of the bicycle plan nevertheless exert a decisive leverage effect for the financing of cycle paths. « It is often the departments which make the structuring investments. However, they are going through a major crisis. They have no more money »warns Jacques Baudrier, elected communist in the metropolis of Paris. « The loss of state credits risks leading to a cascading disengagement »confirms socialist deputy Thierry Sother.
Road safety loses 26 million euros
Another setback, which has until now gone under the radar, risks complicating the development of cycling: the government is forecasting a drop of 23 % of Road Safety appropriations. 26 million euros will be missing in 2025, while cycling associations are calling for an emergency boost, for better consideration of the « motorized violence » and a change in the behavior of motorists, after the death of Paul, a 27-year-old cyclist crushed by a car on October 15. François Durovray announced on October 21 the launch of a « mission » of four months with the appropriate title: « Against violence, protect all road users ».
Supporting the growth of « new so-called soft mobility » is one of the four « major issues » identified by Road Safety, according to the budgetary framework communicated by Bercy. Prefects must organize targeted prevention actions on this theme. Since 2023, the road safety action plan also provides for communication campaigns « to make users of new mobility better aware of the rules and advice for securing ».
It is in France that the feeling of cycling insecurity is most widespread, among eleven European countries studied in an opinion survey published on October 29. Only 59 % of French people questioned feel safe on the roads, where the Dutch people questioned are 93 % to experience this feeling, according to this Ipsos survey for the Vinci Autoroutes foundation.
« The number of cyclists killed increases by almost 20 % between 2019 and 2023. In total, that year, 221 cyclists were killed on the road in mainland France [sur un total de 3 167 tués sur les routes selon les services du gouvernement] »recalls Thierry Sother, who spotted the budget cuts in the documents published by the Ministry of the Economy.
« I see it in my city, in Strasbourg, the explosion in the number of cyclists over the last three years forces us to find a balance of cohabitation between cars, bicycles and pedestrians. We must learn to share public space, after half a century of undivided reign of the car »estimates Thierry Sother, who intends to bring a new amendment to the plenary session to try to preserve these credits.
The budgetary debates must still last for many weeks and reversals of the situation are not excluded. An Ensemble pour la République (Macronist) deputy is notably preparing an amendment to resurrect the bicycle plan, which he should present in the hemicycle. He will have to achieve the feat of convincing his own political group.
Indirect benefits
In its national low-carbon strategy defining a trajectory to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, France intends to convert 2.5 million current motorists to daily cycling. Four French researchers calculated the indirect benefits of this hypothesis. It would prevent around 5,000 deaths linked to lack of exercise per year from 2030, corresponding to 10.5 billion euros in associated economic gains. « Cruel irony of the news… »commented one of its authors on LinkedIn, in reaction to the disappearance of the bicycle plan.
legend
