The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) recently led a delegation on a study tour to Paris to gain an understanding of how the city has successfully implemented active travel infrastructure over recent years, particularly in preparation for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and how it plans to sustain cycling growth.
The delegation, consisting of APPGCW members plus local councillors, policy makers and representatives of various active travel campaign groups, travelled to Paris by Eurostar and undertook a cycle tour of the city on arrival, using Lime shared e-bikes. The cycle tour allowed the delegation to explore various examples of Paris’s reallocation of space for active travel, ahead of a meeting with local councillor Florent Giry, who shared details of the city’s cycling strategy and how it had rapidly implemented segregated cycle routes.
The group also met at the French Parliament with Catherine Hervieu MP, alongside representatives of the Paris cycling advocacy organisation Paris en Selle, of national active travel Réseau Vélo et Marche (Cycling and Walking Network), and other policymakers working to promote active travel on a national level.
Fabian Hamilton MP, Chair of the APPGCW, said: “This visit has shown us what’s possible when political will and investment align behind active travel. Paris has made extraordinary progress in just a few years, creating more space for those walking, wheeling and cycling. The trip was invaluable in learning more about what is possible, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the political spectrum to bring this knowledge into our work on the APPG.”
In Paris, the majority of the 18,000 shared e-bike fleet is provided by LEVA-EU member Segway, with different models deployed by two of the three operators, offering a choice for riders of varying ages, physical abilities, and for diverse trip purposes.
Operators Dott, Voi and Lime were selected to provide the French capital’s shared e-bike services for a four-year term from 1 October 2025, providing the city with key public micromobility options, following the ban of shared e-scooters in 2023. Segway has worked closely with both Dott and Voi on developing specific e-bike models tailored to the Paris streets and its riders, and spoke to Zag Daily about the partnerships.
A collaborative approach
The Paris e-bike fleets of both Dott and Voi are provided by Segway, and the models are the result of extensive cooperative design and R&D between Segway as vehicle solution provider, and the individual operating companies.
Nicolas Gorse, Chief Business Officer at Dott, says: “The vehicle is absolutely central to the quality of service we deliver, and hence our profitability. The right design can extend vehicle lifespan, reduce maintenance needs, and optimise efficiency. All of these factors have a direct impact on our bottom line, so we place a strong emphasis on the vehicles we select and the partners we work with.”
The Dott model which has been deployed on Paris streets is the Urban B200, which underwent months of testing in the city, enabling Segway and Dott to launch an e-bike tailored to local riding behaviour and rider habits.
Gorse added, “We’re particularly grateful that we had the opportunity to co-develop the Urban B200 to this extent and to fully tailor it to the needs of our users. Working in true collaboration with providers is a real chance for our industry to raise the bar and deliver better experiences for riders.”
Durability and reliability are key
Zack Yan, Vice General Manager of the Commercial Mobility Business Division at Segway, spoke of the learnings from the company’s past operations in Paris. “It became evident that vehicle features must go beyond delivering good rides – they must endure long usage, require minimal maintenance, support swappable components, and be efficiently serviceable.”
The Urban B200 used by Dott is equipped with a 918Wh battery, providing up to 120 km of range per charge. Gorse highlighted that, from an operator’s point of view, important attributes such as long-lasting batteries, a strong frame, minimised maintenance and comfortable features are “all contributing to a lower total cost of ownership. In a city like Paris, where demand is high and reliability is key, durability, longer battery range and improved energy efficiency translates into higher fleet availability, more rides per vehicle, better “end of ride” feedback from users and better unit economics.”
Operator Voi has chosen the Urban A200P model, which has also been specifically tailored with Segway. Durable features include a swappable IPX7 waterproof battery, puncture-free tyres, and a wheel locking system for enhanced theft protection. For user convenience, features include a multifunctional dashboard and wireless phone charging, while the Urban B200 carries user-friendly features such as a torque sensor providing smooth pedalling, phone holders, and versatile open-design baskets.
Tried and tested
The most recent deployment in Paris is not Segway’s first activity in the city. During the 2024 Olympic Games, Dott rolled out a fleet of 15,000 e-bikes, all supplied by Segway. Over the course of the sporting event, over one million rides were recorded. Yan says, “Paris runs one of the largest shared micromobility operations in Europe,” says Yan. “With millions of residents and tourists, the city offers unmatched visibility and usage levels, making it a strategic showcase market for e-bike providers.”
Segway also has also gained solid experience from Oslo, where it provides 67% of the fleet of 16,000 e-scooters through operators Voi and Ryde. Yan says, “Powering a large fleet in Oslo means constantly optimising for operational efficiency: easy maintenance, long battery life, and minimising service disruptions.”
It has implemented a robust feedback system, enabling it to tackle operators’ pain points and to fine-tune vehicle engineering, service support and operations in a proactive and timely manner.
Versatility of approach
Yan spoke of Segway’s strategy in offering multiple products for single locations. “By offering a diversified product portfolio within a single city, we’re empowering operators to better serve a broader spectrum of users – riders of different ages, physical abilities, and trip purposes.”
Reflecting on Paris as an e-bike only city when it comes to shared mobility, he highlighted the significance of its approach to sustainable mobility elsewhere. “From a broader perspective, Paris provides a real-world proving ground for what a high-volume, e-bike-first city looks like. The insights gained here not only benefit our deployments in Paris, but also inform our global e-bike strategy – strengthening our position as a go-to vehicle solution provider for cities prioritising sustainable, bike-centric mobility.”
The French capital is increasing the financial aid offered to encourage individuals and businesses to purchase e-bikes and cargo bikes. It is also subsidising cycle training courses and secure bike parking.
The aim of the expanded scheme is to broaden access to clean mobility options to more people and companies.
Individual applications
Paris residents with a reference tax income per unit of less than, or equal to, €10,000 can receive 50% of the purchase price of an e-bike, up to a maximum of €400.
A higher compensation amount is available for electric cargo bikes, with 33% of the purchase price up to a maximum of €600.
An additional amount of 33% of the purchase price of a helmet and/or an anti-theft device is also available, up to a maximum of €50.
Corporate applications
Small Paris-based companies with fewer than 50 employees can receive a subsidy of 50% of the purchase price of professional cargo bikes, up to a maximum of €1,200.
Which e-bikes qualify?
Specific criteria must be met under the scheme. E-bikes must be new or reconditioned with V3r certification and at 3N15194 standard, be marked with a unique identifier, and be registered in the national cycle registry. Bikes fitted with lead batteries are not eligible.
Rider training courses
Bicycle training courses are reimbursed at 60% of the cost, up to a maximum of €60. Instructors must hold the CQP AMV (Certificat de qualification professionnelle Animateur mobilité vélo) or be trained to the IMV (Initiateur mobilité à vélo) certificate.
Secure parking
The city is subsidising 50% of the price of annual subscription to secure bike parking facilities, up to a maximum of €100.
How to apply
Applications can be made online here, and the subsidies may be combined with other schemes offered by the French government (bonus vélo, prime à la conversion), Île-de-France Mobilités or Métropole du Grand Paris. You can check eligibility before submitting an application via an online simulator.
A recent ranking of European cities published by Clean Cities, “Streets for Kids, Cities for All“, shows that Paris has taken the top spot, scoring highly on three key indicators which enable children to walk, cycle and get around independently.
In the ranking, 36 European cities were assessed on three criteria which support safer travel for children:
School streets: The share of primary schools within the city area which have implemented permanent or time-based school streets, limiting motorised traffic, at least during drop-off and pick-up times.
Safe speeds: A score based on the share of the total road network with a maximum speed of 30km/h (20mph).
Protected cycling infrastructure: A score based on the ratio of protected cycling infrastructure to total road network length.
Paris achieved the highest scores across all three indicators, giving a total overall score of 79%. It has a widespread 30km/h speed limit (89% score), a relatively new and growing protected cycle lane network (48% score), and traffic restrictions near schools (25% score). Other high-ranking cities include Amsterdam (63%), Antwerp (62%) and Brussels (56%).
The full report, which can be accessed here, dives into greater detail, highlighting individual initiatives and successes in various cities and countries. The report notes that, alongside earlier pioneers such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen, cities including Paris, Brussels and London “have achieved remarkable progress in just the past 10 years. This demonstrates that meaningful change is possible within a relatively short period of time.”
The report also notes where improvements are needed; no city in the ranking reaches an A grade (80% or more of the total score), with the absence of city-wide roll-out of school streets seen as a common shortcoming. Eight cities in the ranking are underperformers, receiving grades of E (below 20%) or F (below 10%). Variation between cities in the same countries was also noted, highlighting the critical role of local leadership, vision and long-term commitment and investment.
E-bike manufacturer and LEVA EU member NEOMOUV joins forces with e-bike rental specialist Motto as the French capital aims to be fully cycling friendly by 2026.
With over 20 years of experience in e-bike design, NEOMOUV has developed a model specifically tailored to the needs of Parisians. Motto is offering them for a monthly rate, bringing more accessibility for Parisian residents to trial e-biking, as the city aims to promote cycling as a dominant mode of transportation in the city.
NEOMOUV is a French manufacturer that creates bikes for both for individual consumers and also fleets for companies, local authorities and mobility organisations, designing them to order for customer needs. NEOMOUV e-bikes are robust, comfortable, low maintenance, and can be customized for both intensive and daily use for urban, utilitarian, tourist and professional use.
Paris’ aims to be 100% cycling friendly by 2026
Paris has a been a major force in promoting strategies to reduce the effects of climate change, including a target to encourage a large take-up of cycling. Its Plan Velo: Act 2 established in 2021, aims for Paris to be a 100% cycling friendly city by 2026, with various initiatives to facilitate and promote it.
This latest collaboration of Motto and NEOMOUV is the latest e-bike rental partnership to compliment Paris’ plan in making e-biking increasingly more accessible to a range of users in Paris.
According to Fluctuo’s 2024 European Shared Mobility Annual Review, London and Paris are at the forefront of Europe’s shared bike boom, with one-third of Europe’s total shared bike trips occurring in these capital cities.
The latest report from micromobility specialists Fluctuo reveals interesting insights into the effects of the relationships between operators and local authorities, and the role that local conditions have to play in the success of shared mobility take-up.
Paris’s Vélib’ bike share system is Europe’s most used shared mobility service, with 49 million rides recorded in 2024. London plays host to almost one-third of all dockless bike journeys in Europe at 29 million trips.
Paris
Fluctuo CEO Julien Chamussy spoke to Zag Daily about the results from the French capital: “Paris has had its public bike system Vélib’ since 2007 but, despite some initial problems when the contract was renewed and taken over by Smovengo in 2018, it has become the most used bike system in the world, outside of China.
“The success is down to the population density of Paris, but also the station density and fleet size – it’s a convenient service to use, there are always bikes available, and nearly always docking stations available to park in. It is also very cheap to subscribe, and users can get unlimited rides for less than €10 per month.
“Another factor is the political will of Paris and Mayor Anne Hidalgo to promote cycling and reduce car usage. Paris has become a dream for cyclists, and ridership is growing fast.”
In a separate, earlier report, Paris was ranked as the top performing city for bike sharing in Europe. Cycling Industries Europe’s Shared Ambition report benchmarked the performance of bike sharing across 148 EU cities in 2023.
London
London presents a different picture, with a smaller public bike share scheme that is spread over a larger surface area. Station density is lower, which Chamussy noted could lead to the service being perceived as less convenient than Paris’.
However, in the specific case of dockless bikes, Chamussy believes the relationships which has been developed between operators and London boroughs have an important role in the success of bike share schemes.
“Dockless bike operators have been incredibly successful because they have been allowed by the boroughs of London to deploy bikes at scale. There are now more than 30,000 dockless bikes in London whereas in Paris dockless operators have been limited to 18,000 (soon to be 15,000). This has made using shared bikes incredibly convenient in London, and operators and residents are really seeing the benefit.
“London will renew its bike sharing system this year, so it will be interesting to see whether the approach to the station-based or dockless system will evolve over the next 12 to 18 months.”
He went on to outline how both dockless bikes and station-based systems can work in other cities. “Both cities are proof that dockless and station-based models can work, but they both require the right conditions to be successful.”
Highlights of the wider shared mobility sector
The Fluctuo study found that there were 940,000 shared vehicles in 2024, generating 640 million trips and €2.1 billion in revenue.
Berlin has the most shared vehicles in Europe, with 59,000 across the city.
Shared mobility ridership in Europe grew 5% in 2024, despite the overall fleet size decreasing 4% since 2023.
Dockless bike ridership grew by 58%, while fleets increased by 18%.
Shared scooter fleets fell 16% in 2024, and ridership reduced by 9%. Despite this, scooters still make up 47% of all shared vehicles.
France’s capital city launches initiative to curb through-traffic while promoting eco friendly transportation in city centre
From November 5, 2024, Paris will enforce a Limited Traffic Area (LTA) in the heart of its city. This initiative, modeled after similar zones in other European cities such as Madrid, Milan, and Rome, aims to curb through-traffic and encourage public and eco-friendly modes of transportation within Paris’s 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th arrondissements. The implementation of this restricted traffic zone is intended to reduce congestion and emissions, promoting a safer and more accessible city centre for pedestrians and cyclists.
Overview of the Limited Traffic Area (LTA)
The LTA, covering approximately 131 kilometres of roadways in central Paris, prohibits vehicles from using the area as a transit route to cross from one side of the city to another. Instead, only vehicles that have origins or destinations within the LTA’s boundaries are allowed to enter. Signage around the perimeter will inform drivers when they are approaching, entering, or exiting the restricted zone.
Key locations, including the Grands Boulevards in the north, the islands of the Cité and Saint-Louis, and the main quays on the Seine’s right bank, are excluded from the LTA, allowing traffic to flow around rather than through the center. According to city officials, approximately 350,000 to 550,000 vehicles cross this sector daily, highlighting the significant impact the LTA could have on reducing overall traffic within the city’s central zone
Gradual implementation and education phase
To ensure a smooth transition, the city has instituted a “pedagogical phase” that allows residents and visitors time to adapt to the new restrictions. During this phase, drivers will not face penalties, with authorities focusing on education and awareness. Fines will be enforced in 2025, following additional consultations with the Prefecture of Police. The city has also released informational materials, including a video, to help explain the LTA rules and answer frequently asked questions.
Who will be able to enter the LTA?
Access to the LTA is limited to motor vehicles with specific reasons to be in the area, including:
Residents or workers based within the LTA boundaries
Those making deliveries
Individuals visiting medical facilities, shops, or cultural locations such as cinemas
People providing professional services or maintenance within the area
Cyclists, pedestrians, scooters, and other active transportation modes are unaffected by these restrictions, as the LTA only applies to motorized vehicles.
Exemptions and special permissions
Certain vehicles and professionals are exempt from the LTA’s transit restrictions to ensure the continued safety, accessibility, and functioning of essential services within the city center. Vehicles permitted to bypass these rules include:
Public transportation vehicles and taxis
Priority and emergency response vehicles
Public service vehicles for road maintenance and operations
Professionals eligible for specialized parking permits, such as healthcare and mobile service providers
Car-sharing vehicles and vehicles transporting individuals with disabilities or special mobility needs
Additionally, vehicles belonging to the PAM mobility service—a public transport system managed by Île-de-France Mobilités to assist individuals with disabilities—are also permitted unrestricted access to the LTA.
Looking ahead
The Paris LTA is one of several traffic-calming initiatives being pursued by European cities, seeking to balance mobility needs with sustainability and livability goals. While restrictions may pose challenges for some drivers, the city anticipates that the LTA will foster a more pedestrian-friendly urban centre, reduce air pollution, and support a healthier, more vibrant Paris for all residents and visitors.
The Paris Region Institute has announced findings from its GPS Mobility (EMG) survey, conducted eighteen months after the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study looks at the mobility activities of Parisians from October 2022 to April 2023, compiled to help define and improve urban planning and transportation in the Île-de-France region, which houses the city of Paris and surrounding areas. The sample number of participants consisted of 3,337 residents aged 16-80, who used a GPS tracker to record their weekly mobility trips.
Estimated daily mobility numbers
The most traveling occurs during the working week of Monday to Friday, with 34.5 million trips taking place, which then decreases to 29 million on Saturday, then 19 million on Sunday, respectively.
Vehicle modes commonly used
The car is used the most in the outer suburbs, and for city residents, public transport is the most common form of transportation. In terms of the bicycle, this vehicle represents 30% of trips in the Île-de-France region, with more city residents using them than the car.
The unique nature of mobility on Friday
On Friday, the survey has found that the amount of people entering and leaving the Île-de-France region triples in comparison to Monday. Also, it is the day that the largest proportion of people work from home (40%), instead of commuting to work.
Weekend mobility results
It has been revealed that during this period, more residents use the car and less use public transportation compared to the working week. Modal use of the car rises from 34% to 42% and public transport use decreases from 26% to 18%.
Origin of users traveling on Paris’ BP ring road
The Boulevard Périphérique (BP) is a famous road that borders the city of Paris, and is thought to be one of the busiest roads in France. The study found that 80% of those that use it, live outside of the city itself.
More findings from the study can be accessed here. The Paris Region Institute also plans to conduct a weekly mobility study for 2024-2025, to expand on its mobility research.
According to official results from city hall, Parisian voters on Sunday approved a proposal by the city’s socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to triple parking fees for large SUV-style vehicles.
In the recent vote, 54.55% of Parisians supported a proposal to increase parking charges for cars weighing 1.6 tonnes or more to €18 per hour in the city centre and €12 further out. However, only 5.7% (78,000) of the 1.3 million eligible voters participated at the 39 voting stations across the French capital.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo celebrated the outcome as a “clear choice of Parisians” in favour of a measure deemed “good for our health and good for the planet.” Exemptions include fully electric cars exceeding two tonnes, Paris residents or workers, taxi drivers, tradespeople, health workers, and people with disabilities.
Supporters, like Gregoire Marchal, emphasized the ecological and societal aspects of the measure, encouraging a reconsideration of personal behaviour regarding car use. Nevertheless, not all voters shared the sentiment, with some expressing dissatisfaction with what they perceived as Hidalgo’s dictatorial approach.
Under Hidalgo’s leadership, Paris has implemented measures such as pedestrianizing streets and building cycle lanes to discourage driving and reduce emissions. SUVs, labelled an “aberration” by environmental group WWF, have been singled out for their increased fuel consumption, safety concerns, and greater use of public space.
Critics argue against the imprecise targeting of SUVs, with concerns raised about the scheme’s classification and potential impacts on different types of vehicles. The opposition questions the transparency of the referendum, accusing the city government of manipulation.
Drivers’ groups and France’s Environment Minister, Christophe Bechu, criticize the SUV surcharge as punitive environmentalism, advocating for a focus on vehicle weight rather than a specific category. Hidalgo’s transport chief estimates that around 10% of Paris vehicles would be affected, generating up to €35 million annually.
The anti-SUV initiative in Paris has inspired similar plans in Lyon, where the Green party mayor intends to introduce a three-tier parking fee for residents and visitors starting in June. The recent referendum’s turnout echoes a trend seen in a previous vote on banning rental scooters, emphasizing the challenges of engaging citizens in local decision-making.