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In Paris, walking beats all other modes of transport

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The Editor

© Jagoda Bartus / Le Bonbon

Since the early 2000s, when the left came to power in Paris, and especially since Anne Hidalgo took the reins in 2014, a real war on cars has been taking place in the capital's streets. And apparently, it's a policy that's paying off, since cars keep losing ground.

Released on September 9th, a new study by the Parisian Urban Planning Workshop (APUR) sheds light on how commuting habits have evolved in the capital, and more broadly in Greater Paris over the past 25 years. And one thing's for sure, in recent decades, Paris has experienced a major transformation in its way of life, and public spaces have become witnesses to these new uses.


Soft mobility takes the lead

For many, getting around the capital is a little taste of hell, for the simple reason that they sum it up as crowded metros or hours stuck in traffic jams in a car. Yet, despite this rather reductive view, the mode of transport

the most used in Paris is none other than… walking ! And it shows no signs of stopping, since according to the study published by APUR at the start of the school year, the share of walking rose from 47% in 2001 to 52% in 2019 — due to lack of more recent data. And while public transport certainly holds second place, it would seem that the bicycle has finally overtaken the car. Indeed, in 2024, according to Institut Paris Région, bicycles accounted for 11.2% of trips, compared to 4.3% for cars. An evolution that is also found across Greater Paris, and which the region intends to develop by reaching 15% by 2030 !


Urban planning tailored to new needs

This evolution in transportation methods, which increasingly highlights softer, less polluting mobility options, is closely linked to the city's urban planning. As a result, the share of cars is shrinking year after year thanks to political measures such as the removal of roads along the Seine's banks, shared zones, school streets, and increasingly scarce parking spaces. On the flip side, the bike boom demands specific infrastructure, and since 2018, the greater Paris metropolitan area has gained nearly 2,994 km of bike lanes. The only remaining challenge

holding, adapt outdoor spaces so that walking and cycling can continue to thrive against unprecedented heat waves, making outdoor circulation much more challenging.


The French capital is far from being an exception

While the APUR study reveals a real shift in how Île-de-France residents get around, with unprecedented consequences for the urban environment, it also shows us that Paris isn't the only major metropolis undergoing such a transformation. So, while in the capital, the car's share has dropped by 42% between 2010 and 2023, it has also fallen by 10% in central London and by 15% in Barcelona. In all these cities, soft mobility options are also increasingly dominating. The only exception, Amsterdam, despite being the cycling capital, where the car's share has actually increased by 6%. Similarly, the major c

Large metropolises continue to develop their public transportation networks, even though here too, Greater Paris, considered the « project of the century », takes the prize with 200 stations inaugurated between 2010 and 2025, and 109 new ones by 2032, which should also help further reduce the space devoted to cars. So, who are the mobility bosses?