Paris will organise the 2024 Olympic Games, with five cycling disciplines on the programme: road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle (Park). The promotion of active mobility and the development of cycling infrastructure play an important role in the French capital’s wider action plan to render Paris healthier and more ecological.
The city’s authorities are firmly committed to making Paris a cycling city. The “2015-2020 Bike Plan” aims to reach a modal share of 15% for cycling in 2020, while the city’s aim to reduce air pollution sees the promotion of cycling as an essential tool.
This five-year plan financed with 150 million euros will concentrate on the improvement of existing and the creation of new cycling infrastructure, the integration of cycling into public transport, the improvement of safety measures, the creation of two-way cycle paths in one-way streets and the provision of parking facilities for bikes. Finally, this plan will help Parisians with the purchase of cargo-bikes and electric bikes.
The creation of a cycle highway is underway, and the city has fixed the aim of reaching 1400km of cycleways in 2020, the same year that the network will also include 61km of two-way protected cycle-paths. Measures are being taken to reduce the speed of motorised traffic on Paris streets and to redesign roads to improve safety of cyclists. Each Sunday, the Champs-Elysées are closed to motorised traffic, enabling residents and tourists to enjoy this emblematic site on their bikes without being bothered by cars. An annual carless day is organised at the end of September, during which 650km of roads are closed to traffic.
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