Abolished by government decree since December 2, this aid package was to extend until 2027.
At the beginning of December, the Cycling plan was launched. To the great dismay of fans of the little queen. Published on November 29, a decree removed the ecological bonus for cycles from December 2. This dated from 2017, and made it possible to financially help French people wishing to turn to this ecological and economical mode of transport.
The decree dated at the end of November put an end to this, effective December 2. The text leaves a reprieve of a few weeks “for bicycles ordered or for which the rental contract was signed before December 2, 2024”and whose invoicing or payment of the first rent will take place before February 14, 2025. For others, the aid will be purely and simply eliminated.
Far from the ambition of “Bicycle Nation” defended by Élisabeth Borne during her visit to Matignon, this decline by the government on the promotion of bicycle travel has caused user associations to jump. “This is a serious step backwards by the government which calls into question the achievement of the objectives of the Cycling plan”denounces the French Federation of Bicycle Users (Fub) in a press release published at the end of November. “Making France a cycling country is turning into an illusion and increasing the modal share of cycling to 12% in 2030, an objective that the State has set itself, is becoming a chimera”deplores the association.
Last October, the Fub had already sounded the alarm after the disappearance of this plan from the budget examined by parliamentarians. Extended by Élisabeth Borne in 2023 and costed at two billion euros, it was nevertheless to extend until 2027 to develop secure infrastructures for cycling and walking but also for “make cycling accessible to everyone, from a young age and throughout life”. “This decree once again unravels a public policy that has been successfully pursued for several years”for its part deplored the Alliance for Cycling, a group of several associations, on December 5.
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Before its abolition, the bicycle bonus amounted to 150 to 2000 euros depending on the types of bicycle and household resources. The amount of the conversion bonus could even reach 3,000 euros for the purchase of a new or used electrically assisted bicycle, in exchange for the scrapping of a motorized vehicle. In 2023, some 2.2 million cyclists will benefit from this aid for a total amount of 40 million euros.
To justify this deletion, François Durovray, resigning minister in charge of Transport, pointed to the budgetary context. “The State is more in its role on mass transit infrastructure, particularly rail, than on a cycle path supported by a local community”added the minister. Enough to make several local elected officials jump. “It will put us on hold for three to four years”the time to relaunch the projects after the municipal elections of 2026, particularly regretted François Cuillerier, president of the Transport, Mobility and Roads Commission of the Association of Mayors of France.
