A pioneer in self-service cycling, with its Vélo’v launched in 2005, the metropolis of Lyon already had an extensive cycling network. She now wants to move up a gear. On Wednesday September 22, the Lyon executive thus lifted the veil on an express network project exclusively reserved for cycling and consisting of 250 kilometers of lanes dedicated to two-wheelers. Three to four meters wide, these are completely separated from the existing roadway, on uninterrupted paths. The metropolis plans a total budget of 100 million euros to build its project before 2026.
By 2030, the network could be extended, the objective being to reach 355 kilometers of cycle lanes throughout the territory of the second largest agglomeration in France. Called “Les Voies lyonnaises”, in reference to the ancient Roman roads that shaped the origins of the capital of Gaul, this network of cycle paths will be structured around thirteen traffic lines. From 20 to 57 kilometers long, they will each have their number, their color, with signage and road markings, to provide cyclists with a practical and legible circulation map. The map is reminiscent of a metro network, with its numbered lines forming a web.
“Diversifying mobility is a priority of our mandate. The idea is to offer alternatives to the movements of the inhabitants, by increasing the share of the bicycle. We hope to triple the number of bicycle trips by 2026 ”, declares Bruno Bernard, president (EELV) of Grand Lyon. For the elected ecologist, the construction of the cycle network represents a visible marker of the electoral program, in which appeared the promise of“A more peaceful and environmentally friendly agglomeration”.
The bicycle complements a varied mobility policy, which is based on the construction of two new tram lines, for a total of 25 kilometers of additional tracks, as well as on the development of carsharing. Consequence: the use of the car on the urban territory decreases mechanically.
“Apprehension of city traffic”
The start of the new cycle network responds to an aspiration already mentioned by various mobility studies. On September 7, the city’s sensors recorded the passage of 16,244 cyclists in one day, on the existing track, along the left bank of the Rhône, in the center of Lyon. According to Eco-Compteur, specializing in urban counting, this track in Lyon holds the national record for cycling in the city, with 2,526,276 trips recorded since January 1, 2021, against 2,513,671 along Boulevard Sebastopol, and 1 883 603 rue de Rivoli, in Paris. The use of bicycles is booming.
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