Bike. Barometer of cycling cities: Toulouse is treading water, here is the ranking
Through Gabriel Kenedi
Published on
In terms of bicycle development, Toulouse can do better… This is what emerges from the new barometer of cycling cities which was unveiled on Thursday February 10, 2022 by the French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB).
Toulouse outside the Top 10
Before getting to the heart of the matter, let’s recall a few fundamental points: this survey (carried out in the fall of 2021) is based on the collection and analysis of 277,384 contributions of bicycle users throughout France.
“For each of the 26 questions, divided into five themes, respondents were able to attribute a score between 1 (negative) to 6 (positive). An overall score was calculated for each city based on the average of the five themes: general feeling, safety, comfort, efforts of the municipality, parking and bicycle services”, indicates the FUB.
Based on this overall score, cities were categorized on an A+ to G scale ranging from “excellent cycling climate” a “very satisfying cycling climate”. In total, 1625 municipalities in mainland France and overseas benefit from a score and are included in the ranking.
Toulouse outside the Top 10
In the “Big Cities Rankings”which includes the 38 French municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, Grenoble (Isère) come out on top with an average score of 4.21 / 6before Strasbourg (Haut-Rhin) and reindeer (Ile-et-Vilaine). 38 municipalities in total appearing in the list of major cities.
In Toulouse, 4304 people responded to this barometer. And for the respondents, the cycling climate is “rather preferred” in the Pink City, which receives an overall score of 2.96 / 6. It’s barely better than in the previous barometer published in 2019, where Toulouse received a score of 2.88.
As a reminder, in 2019, Toulouse was ranked in eighth place (out of 11) of cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
The Top 10 in major cities:
- Grenoble: 4.21 / 6
- Strasbourg: 4.18 /6
- Reindeer: 3.74 / 6
- Annecy: 3.68 / 6
- Nantes: 3.64 / 6
- Lyon: 3.51 / 6
- Visits: 3.46 / 6
- Le Havre: 3.45 / 6
- Angers: 3.44 / 6
- Burgundy: 3.40 / 6
The weak points and the strong points in Toulouse
Among the weak points notified by the contributors in Toulouse, the following are recalled: bike theftthe danger of circular cycling for children or the elderly, the absence of a safe alternative solution during work carried out on cycle routes, parking still too frequent motorized vehicles on cycle lanes, or even the danger of crossing a crossroads or a roundabout in the city.
All is not black however. Among the strengths retained by the inhabitants of Toulouse who took part in this survey, we note in particular:
- one-way streets open to two-way for bicycles
- ease of finding a bicycle repair shop/workshop
- the possibility of renting a bike for a few hours or for several months is easy
- the democratization of the use of the bicycle
- that it is possible to cycle safely on residential streets.
More than one in two respondents did not see any improvements
The community’s efforts to develop the practice of cycling are considered insufficient by a majority of respondents to this survey.
In fact, only 1.4% of respondents felt that the situation for bicycles “has improved a lot” between 2019 and 2021. But they are still 32.4% to think that the situation for bicycles has “improved a bit” during this interval.
In contrast, 55.2% of respondents believe that the situation “is the same” in two years while 9.1% considers that the situation is a little degraded. They are 2% to think that the situation “has deteriorated a lot” since 2019 in Toulouse.
The creation of a complete cycle network acclaimed
In project since 2014 but for the moment not yet realized, the Express Bike Network (REV), which provides the creation of 13 bicycle “highways” over the next few years in Toulouse and the conurbation, is eagerly awaited by users.
68.9% of respondents in Toulouse has estimated that a “complete and seamless cycle network” is necessary to improve cycling in the city. Similarly, 50.7% of respondents believe that it is necessary to “better maintain cycle paths and lanes”, and 44.9% call for “fast and direct cycle routes”.
Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Toulouse in the My Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.