French national bike plan proposed

TRANSPORT minister Thierry Mariani unveiled plans on Thursday for a 'national cycling scheme' in a bid to encourage the use of bicycles across France.

The plan targets short trips of less than three kilometres, only three percent of which are currently made by bike, a figure the government hopes to increase to 12% by 2020.

The minister proposed the introduction of new secure bicycle parking zones, and announced his support for incentive schemes for employees choosing to cycle to work on a regular basis.

Mr. Mariani implored the government to take cycling as seriously as they do motoring, favouring the introduction of tax allowances towards the purchase of electric bikes in the near future, a measure he says could be implemented 'quickly'.

The proposal comes following the recommendations of a report prepared by Phillipe Goujon, a member of the National Assembly for Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the benefits of increased cycling in France include potential savings of €5.6 billion in health spending, and would also be good news for the environment. "If every European pedalled 2.6 km per day, transport related CO2 emissions would be reduced by 15%," a spokesman said.

France currently operates bike rental schemes in some towns and cities across the country, including the Vélib system in Paris and the Vélo Bleu scheme in Nice.