Grenoble, Strasbourg and Rennes were elected by cyclists as the most "cyclable" metropolises in France, according to a barometer published Thursday, while La Rochelle, Saint-Aubin-de-Médoc and Saint-Jean-des-Monts distinguished in the other categories of cities.
Rennes joins this year the two French capitals of the bicycle in front of Annecy, Nantes, Lyon and Tours, according to this biennial barometer presented Thursday by the Federation of the users of the bicycle (FUB), which holds its congress in Tours.
La Rochelle, Bourg-en-Bresse and Chambéry rank as the best mid-sized cities, the worst rated category of all. Saint-Aubin-de-Médoc, Le Tech and Séné are the best suburban communes, respectively located near Bordeaux, Arcachon and Vannes.
"The cities that are doing well are those that have historically had a policy geared towards cycling," FUB secretary general Séraphin Elie told AFP.
For the third edition of this barometer, the association collected 277.384 online contributions from September 14 to November 30, 2021, and 1.625 municipalities were classified, a sharp increase in participation, with more women and occasional cyclists than in years. previous ones.
"With the Covid, we would have expected that the participation of the big cities would increase. But the explosion of participations comes from the small cities", specified Mr. Elie.
"The bicycle has again become a serious mode of transport and a political object", he underlined. "Elected officials can no longer ignore the subject. More and more mayors are getting into it, but many are starting from very low."
Saint-Jean-de-Monts (Vendée), Val-de-Reuil (Eure) and Marseillan (Hérault) rank as the best small towns for cycling.
La-Tranche-sur-Mer (Vendée), Vieux-Boucau (Landes) and Brétignolles-sur-Mer (Vendée) rank at the top of the best towns and villages.
"The towns on the Atlantic coast took up cycling a long time ago, thanks in particular to tourism. They are doing very well. The feeling is positive, even if, in the countryside, we still drive by car", commented Mr. Elie.
64% of respondents find that the conditions for cycling are bad, and 47,8% that the situation has remained the same for cyclists over the past two years. 36,5% find that it has improved.
