Accessibility: elevators considered too old and too few in number as the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games approach

Find all the figures from the 2024 barometer “The French and the elevator” in the complete report from the IPSOS institute, on this link.

The elevator, an essential support for everyday mobility today... but especially tomorrow!

Judged by 57% of French people as being essential for moving occasional loads, supporting the elderly (53%) or even young children (41%), elevators make everyday life easier, whether in space urban, at the station, in public places, or of course in condominiums.

And that’s without taking into account the ever more prominent place that this equipment will play in our future. Cities will have to become vertical and densified to accommodate more people in the same space. At the same time, the French population is aging and losing its autonomy. In 2030, 1 in 3 French people will be over 60, and for the first time, those over 65 will outnumber those under 15. Accessibility and inclusive mobility must be a priority in urban areas; it is now necessary to better think about vertical mobility and to densify its network.

Insufficient infrastructure in public spaces

If the challenges are well identified, the response is not sufficient. As the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games approach, and while accessibility issues are increasingly part of the political debate, the French are highlighting the lack of elevators, escalators and even sidewalks. on public transport (52%), in schools and universities (63%), or in sports centers (65%). Enough to make the daily lives of our fellow citizens with disabilities very complex, not to mention the elderly and families.

Indeed, France is today under-equipped with elevators. It is lagging significantly behind its European neighbors. There are in fact only 8 elevators per 1.000 inhabitants in France, compared to 23 per 1.000 in Spain. And providing immediate accessibility is too underestimated in new construction.

Help that is still needed

In this context, the Elevator Federation would like to alert public authorities of the urgency of deploying more vertical mobility solutions in public places, but also of the need to support everyone in maintaining and renovating their equipment. A renovation considered important and a priority for 94% of respondents, and rightly so: 50% of existing devices are over 30 years old, 25% are even over 40 years old.

For Philippe Boué, President of the Federation of Lifts: “This new barometer with the Ipsos institute once again demonstrates users' confidence in equipment that facilitates vertical inclusion. The two thirds who say they have not experienced a breakdown in the last 12 months overwhelmingly trust the companies that maintain elevators for their comfort and safety. Yes, the elevator is a much better considered link than we think, essential, even indispensable, in understanding daily mobility and lifestyles. To meet these needs, from a certain age, it is essential to modernize elevators to guarantee safety, reliability, and energy savings. Just as we no longer use 4L and 2 HP on our roads, we must change the elevators in our cities. Renovating appliances aged 30 to 40 years allows up to 60% energy savings. The elevator therefore has its role to play in the decarbonization of our environment. »

It would therefore be essential to integrate elevators into the MaPrimeRénov' system and to extend MaPrimeAdapt' to collective housing and public spaces. The Federation is also asking to release other funds such as the Île-de-France region plan, which had dedicated 2 million euros to the renovation of elevators in co-ownerships.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.