Elisabeth Borne launches a second bicycle plan “endowed with 250 million euros in 2023 – Le Figaro

A first fund created in 2018, and which was initially to last until 2025, had a total budget of 350 million euros. Four years after the launch of the first bicycle plan, when she was Minister of Transport, Elisabeth Borne, now at Matignon, has decided to change direction. Initially endowed with a budget of 350 million euros over seven years (2018-2025), the system will now benefit from “250 million euros in 2023”. It will in particular take up the key points which have enabled the success of the first and in particular aid for the acquisition, “we will maintain it”, confirmed the Prime Minister during the press briefing, recalling that she had allowed in 2021 to make the little queen “the best-selling means of transport”. autumn and will meet every six months. In addition, the government hopes to bring out a national bicycle sector ranging from “assembly to recycling through repair”, underlined Élisabeth Borne. The other axes of the previous plan will be maintained, such as the development of cycle paths, including “ 14,000 km have been achieved thanks to the bike plan,” said the head of government. The “active mobility fund”, which allows the financing of infrastructures, will be part “in a logic of contractualization with the communities, to ensure that the investments are targeted and effective. It will be endowed with 250 million euros for 2023; 200 million will be dedicated to infrastructure and 50 million euros for parking”, according to Matignon. “The multi-year envelope remains to be defined, because it will be part of the overall reflection on transport infrastructure, based in particular on the infrastructure orientation council which will be delivered this fall”, according to this source. In 2018, the government of Édouard Philippe, of which Élisabeth Borne was Minister of Transport at the time, announced a national “bicycle plan”, notably establishing a fund of 350 million euros over seven years (2018-2025), topped up with 150 million euros. additional euros by the recovery plan decided after the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the website of the Ministry of Ecology, “the first 5 calls for projects launched between 2019 and 2022 were a great success with 933 winning projects for a total of 365 million euros in subsidies. 599 territories have thus been able to benefit from support for the realization of projects for the sustainability of transition cycle paths, the creation of secure cycle routes and the reduction of route discontinuities. 100% cycling”The cycling plan, which now runs until 2027, also intends to bring the “know how to ride a bike” system to the entire age group in primary school, from which 160,000 children have benefited since three years. SEE ALSO – Elisabeth Borne announces a “major” investment of 9 billion euros over three years in space