Research – a fervent supporter of cycling

"As cycling activists, we talk to decision-makers to convince them to set up cycling facilities", explains Stein van Oosteren, a Dutch diplomat in Paris and main spokesperson for the Île-de-France Cycling Collective. And science can provide these activists with many arguments to support their cause. 

This was the subject of a conference that brought scientists, cyclists and decision-makers together on December 18^th at CNRS headquarters. Céline Scornavacca, the co-president of the Fédération des Usagères et Usagers de la Bicyclette (FUB, French Federation of Bicycle Users), France's leading association for the promotion of cycling as a means of transport, and also a bioinformatics specialist with the CNRS, explained that user associations actually rely on research thus: "Scientific arguments carry more weight with decision-makers and help improve cycling facilities". She also explained that, in parallel, "associations are shifting away from an activist position to adopt a more constructive approach regarding the local authorities" they are trying to convince.

There are three types of arguments. Firstly, the arguments highlighting the benefits of cycling for public health. Kevin Jean , an epidemiologist with the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), provides some striking figures. "We save one euro in public health costs for every kilometre cycled in France", he explains, continuing in a similar vein to detail statistics on this issue. "Cycling for 1 hour and 40 minutes per week reduces mortality levels from several chronic diseases like cancer and type 2 diabetes by 10%." This means that "even a country with moderate cycling habits like France avoids 2,000 deaths per year and a significant number of sick days". 

Cycling, a vector of resilience

Next up – climate-related arguments. Séverin Baron  is the deputy national environmental transition officer for the CNRS with particular responsibility for sustainable mobility. He points out that the IPCC considers that "cycling is both a tool for mitigating and adapting to global warming", a point echoed by the climatologist Valérie Masson-Delmotte, herself a former chair of an IPCC working group. "On the global scale, switching to cycling is a modest but highly affordable contribution to efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. On an individual scale, it's the lever with the highest potential to reduce carbon footprints". This is especially the case if we factor in the idea that cycling infrastructure itself actually mitigates global warming's local effects. This research professor with the CEA cites greenways as an example, explaining that these constitute "islands of coolness and green corridors for biodiversity", making cycling itself "a vector of resilience". 

All these benefits represent a modest investment for public authorities with rapid and very real savings in return. Valérie Masson-Delmotte argues that "the cost of riding a bike is six times lower than the cost of using a car"  and that "the return on investment is less than six months for bicycle facilities and two years for electric bicycles". Stein van Oosteren also puts forward a similar argument that draws on the experience of his home country. The diplomat praises "the Dutch, who invest €520 million in cycling per year, or €30 per capita... for a €19 billion saving in healthcare costs!". The FUB's Céline Scornavacca explains the public authorities' enthusiasm for scientific arguments in favour of cycling, opining that these "legitimise investments by local authorities with limited resources because there is a guaranteed return on investment".

Structuring French cycling research 

These arguments have reached beyond the local level right up to ministries and government departments which was confirmed by Suzanne Lécroart, head of the active and carbon-free mobility office at the French Ministry of Transport. "The ministry commissions research projects to inform its policy". She believes that "trying cycling means taking it up" but the aim now is to encourage more trials to promote the widespread adoption of bikes. She is therefore calling for research into cycling mobility in rural areas, because "people living in rural areas also have the right to happy mobility!". Céline Scornavacca sees further than the research projects commissioned by the State, considering the cycling plan adopted by the government in 2023 because of cycling's health, climate and economic benefits represented "the greatest achievement of science and civil society for cycling". In a context of budgetary constraints threatening the plan, the FUB's co-president stresses "the importance of research" in reaffirming that "cycling is a economic relevant solution in the short, medium and long term, particularly in times of financial restrictions".

Moving forward, the objective now is to consolidate French cycling research working in conjunction with the public authorities. At the December conference, Valérie Masson-Delmotte called for "thought about structuring French research to focus more on cycling, ranging from competitive sport to physical activity, health and the environment", a point which Céline Scornavacca concurs with. Ms Scornavacca notes that "for the moment, although the FUB is self-organised as regards research, there's a whole range of potential for developing action research through a national structure". She herself argues in favour of "organising research so that it can better inform our scientific knowledge and respond more effectively to the requirements of local authorities", citing the example presented at the Paris conference of the Observatory for Cycling and Active Mobilities at the University of Lausanne. This CNRS research professor highlights the interdisciplinary nature of her own institution, explaining that "we have all the disciplines we need at the CNRS to be very much relevant and competitive in this field". The latest example is the Vélo-Climat project team's 800 km bike ride between Morbihan and Rotterdam, a participatory science expedition that aimed to measure global warming's impact on cycling and anticipate the changes required to adapt to high temperatures.

When, then, will French research be structured in conjunction with the public authorities, an idea advocated for by Alain Schuhl, the CNRS's Deputy CEO for Science? One thing is certain – every turn of the (bicycle) wheel brings this closer.