For Stein van Oosteren, the future of France will be cycle-friendly or not

“There is another world, but he is in this one.” Stein van Oosteren, diplomatic attaché, philosopher and spokesperson for the Vélo Île-de-France collective, adopted this quote from the writer Paul Éluard to evoke another world of mobility, already present but invisible to many. On the occasion of the first Light Economy Forum, organized by WE DEMAIN, the author of Why not the bike? was invited to talk about “light mobility”, far from the heaviness of car journeys.

During this vibrant intervention, he outlined the broad outlines of a future where the bicycle becomes a pillar of the ecological and urban transition. For the Franco-Dutch Stein van Oosteren, the bicycle embodies this desirable future: light, less polluting, less expensive and more humane mobility. However, despite the obvious advantages, he deplores that France is still far from this vision.

Mobility: a necessary paradigm shift

The car, in its current model, represents the obsolete filter which prevents us, as Paul Éluard mentions, from seeing the other world… which already exists. He points out that cars are expensive, inefficient and harmful, both for the economy and for public health. “Traffic jams cost the French economy 20 billion euros in productivity each year, while accidents cost 50 billion. »

And to recall an irrefutable fact: “The car burns your money and saves you weight. Cycling burns your fat and saves you money. » Stein van Oosteren’s analysis is clear: heavy mobility is no longer tenable. With an annual cost of 6,000 euros per household for the car, it is high time to reconsider our mobility model. “We use 10% of our GDP for a vehicle fleet that remains stationary 96% of the time. This system is running out of steam, and it is time to replace it with lighter, more efficient mobility.”.

“We use 10% of our GDP for a vehicle fleet that remains stationary 96% of the time. »

The bike, the solution that ticks almost all the boxes

For the soft mobility specialist, the bicycle presents an alternative that is not only viable, but virtuous. “A kilometer traveled by bike brings in 26 cents to the community, while a kilometer by car costs 89 cents”he said. By improving the health of users in particular, cycling has many advantages.

But is the transition to a cycling France possible? Stein van Oosteren is convinced of this and has taken the example of cities that have successfully made this transition. He notably mentioned Amsterdam, a model of a cycling city which was once car-free in the 1970s. The same goes for Pontevedra, in the north-west of Spain, where car use has fallen by 90%. in just a few decades, proving that this change is possible even in smaller, “Latin-minded” cities.

A bicycle economy to exploit

Beyond the environmental and public health benefits, Stein van Oosteren highlights the immense economic potential of cycling. Today, with a modal share of only 3% of trips, the bicycle economy already represents 29.5 billion euros per year in France. “Imagine what we could accomplish if we reached even 10%”he insisted.

To do this, the diplomat calls for an overhaul of public policies, particularly in terms of infrastructure. He welcomes initiatives like that of Paris City Hall, which has transformed the city by adding a number of kilometers of cycle paths in recent years, under the leadership of Anne Hidalgo. Covid and then the holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games were an opportunity to accelerate the transition in this area. And the success is there with a marked increase in the number of cyclists in the capital. Better: we see more and more children cycling in the streets of the city, something unthinkable just a few years ago.

Towards a light economy

Stein van Oosteren sees this transition to light mobility as a broader paradigm shift. “Cycling is just the tip of the iceberghe explains. This change goes beyond the simple fact of swapping the car for the bicycle. It is about rethinking the city and the economy according to human needs and no longer automobile needs. We are going to a city that answers the question of what humans need. And humans need a calm, beautiful, secure and accessible space. »

Thus, the bicycle becomes the symbol of a new era, a lighter, more resilient and desirable economy. A model where everyone, whether citizen, entrepreneur or decision-maker, can contribute to building this cycling future, already present, but still to be revealed.

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