Will the 2024 Olympics be 100% cycle-friendly?

“Rather positive” assessment for the cycle network

Praised by the government and local authorities, the project to develop some 400 kilometers of cycle paths in Ile-de-France to allow spectators to go to the Olympic sites should be "generally held", believes Jeanne Bruge, deputy director of the Vélo Ile-de-France collective.

The collective of cyclist associations announced in October 2023 that "20% of the cycling network" was "still missing", but "many things have been unlocked since then", in Paris as in the rest of Ile-de-France . “Considering how the cycling ambition appeared quite late for the Games, and for the remaining time available, the results are rather positive,” estimates Jeanne Bruge.

The association, however, regrets a course of "variable quality" and on which some "uncertainties" still remain.

She points out in particular "a big black spot" in Saint-Denis, on avenue du Président Wilson, a key axis connecting the Porte de la Chapelle, in Paris, to the Stade de France, where the athletics events will take place, para-athletics and rugby.

One section, with its two lanes in each direction of traffic, is still not secure for cyclists, who must use the bus lanes.

Contacted by AFP, the Departmental Council of Seine-Saint-Denis indicated that it was planning a cycle path on this section in "the Paris-Saint-Denis direction". But he is still waiting for the results of safety studies.

“The people responsible for the developments must continue with the same dynamic, and even a little stronger, to be sure that it will be delivered,” underlines Ms. Bruge, especially since this network has always been presented as one legacies that the Olympic Games will leave to the region.

More self-service bikes

While the bicycle is increasingly presented as an alternative to the car and public transport during the Games, and with 15 million visitors expected in Paris during this period, the self-service bicycle offer should be reviewed on the rise.

Pinned by numerous users deploring overheating of the system, the Ile-de-France service Velib' announced the deployment of 3.000 additional bicycles for the Olympics. In total, 21.000 bicycles will be in circulation this summer.

These new bikes should "arrive gradually during the winter, and in April we will have 20% more bikes on the ground", assures Sylvain Raifaud, president of the Autolib Velib Métropole Union (SAVM).

What about the maintenance, often criticized, on the part of the current operator Smovengo? “We will be very careful to ensure that the means are in line with the needs to really have very strong responsiveness to ensure that the maximum number of bikes are usable at the time of the Games,” replies the president of SAVM.

Lime, a self-service bicycle operator which boasts a fleet of 10.000 machines in the capital, indicates that it has asked the City of Paris to increase the number of its bicycles in preparation for the Olympics.

More parking

To encourage the use of "Olympists" by Ile-de-France residents and visitors alike, bicycle racks will be installed near the competition sites (Stade de France, Roland-Garros, Champ-de-Mars, etc.) in order to offer 10.000 parking spaces, announced in February 2023 David Belliard, the EELV deputy for mobility to Mayor PS Anne Hidalgo.

The Plaine Commune intermunicipal structure, of which Saint-Denis is the center, intends to develop “3.000 long-term secure bicycle parking spaces on two poles around the Stade de France”, details a joint press release. When asked, Plaine Commune did not specify the progress of the project.

The Greater Paris Metropolis also announced the financing of giant Velib' stations near the competition venues, a principle "successfully tested" during the Rugby World Cup or the Solidays festival, according to Sylvain Raifaud.

“And then we will temporarily reinforce existing stations, particularly near tourist sites and train stations, to have more places to drop off bicycles,” explains Mr. Raifaud.