October 22, 2023 - Lyon Métropole has ambitious cycling goals and plans to become the economic capital of France for bicycles. With a budget of 500 million euros dedicated to active mobility, Lyon Métropole boasts a cycling network of 1,173km, an increase of 54km over last year, including 233km of protected bike lanes.

The city’s vast Cycling Plan, launched in 2020, hopes to triple the number of bicycle trips by 2026 and is centred around five areas: infrastructure, supporting change, services, safety and the economy.

Part of the initiative includes developing a network of wide and secure cycle paths, with les Voies Lyonnaises (the Lyon Roads) linking journeys between Lyon and its inner and outer suburbs. The “spider web” pattern network, spread out over 40 municipalities, will see 250km by 2026, including 100km of existing paths and a total of 350km by 2030.

Established in 2005, Lyon Métropole’s Vélo’v bike share offers 5,000 bicycles and saw a notable 16% increase in 2022 with 10.5 million rentals overall. In 2020, the system launched e-Vélo’v by converting about half of its inventory into hybrid electric bikes that simply need a battery. Currently, about 2% of subscribers use this option, and 500 e-Vélo’v bikes are available for long-term rental.

In 2022, Lyon adopted France’s ColisActiv’ program, which subsidizes packages delivered by bike to decarbonize urban delivery — a total of 635,000 parcels have been delivered by bike couriers.

To assist in bicycle use and to help combat theft, the number of bike racks has doubled since 2019 to 30,000 (60,000 spaces), with a goal of 60,000 racks by 2026. Secure bicycle parking is also available and will be increased from 1,500 to 15,000 spaces.

In 2019, the regional stakeholders in the bicycle sector created the Active and Sustainable Mobility Cluster (MAD). In 2022, MAD joined CARA, a European Cluster for mobility solutions, and formed the CARA Active Mobility branch which has 168 members, half of which are located in the Lyon Métropole urban area.

To support local bicycle factory initiatives, the Grand Plateau, financed by France Relance, is a third-party centre with a 5-year lease on an 8,000m2 building owned by Lyon Métropole and located in Villeurbanne.

Voted the first European “Smart Tourism” capital by the European Union in 2019, Lyon Métropole is fully committed to promoting cycling tourism, including e-bike tours. That year ONLYLYON Tourisme et Congrès began rolling out the Accueil Vélo (Cyclists Welcome) label, and the urban area boasts 46 establishments supporting the initiative.