The episode in detail
The ideal cycle infrastructure: physical separation or a favourable environment
For Florian Bonet, a transport infrastructure expert at Egis, good cycle infrastructure takes two forms. Either a track fully separated from motor traffic, where traffic stays dense and fast. Or a “non-scheme”: bikes riding in the street, but where a traffic plan has cut the number and speed of motor vehicles.
“Good cycle infrastructure is a favourable environment for cycling. It is the kind of scheme that gets overlooked, yet it is the simplest to put in place from a technical standpoint.”
Florian works at the interface between the landscape architects who design the layouts and the highway engineers. His aim: spaces that are high-quality, safe and appealing, to increase the share of trips made by bike and public transport.
Traffic plans: the underrated tool for modal shift
Traffic plans are the most underrated tool in cycling development. By changing the direction of traffic flow and removing through-traffic from certain neighbourhoods, calmed routes are created where bikes have room without heavy infrastructure. According to the studies Florian cites, the ratio between traffic plans and separated infrastructure runs somewhere between 80/20 and 50/50.
The advantage: it is quick and cheap to implement compared with a full façade-to-façade redesign. And traffic displacement is never 100%. Some of the traffic “evaporates”: drivers change their route, their timing or their mode of transport. That is exactly the goal.
Poorly designed junctions: the weak link in cycle infrastructure
A 10 km stretch of cycle infrastructure can lose all its value because of poorly handled junctions. Florian describes the classic scenario: 8 to 9 km of good-quality, physically separated route, followed by around ten junctions where safety drops off. The result: cyclists find the route too stressful and choose an unimproved but quieter route instead.
“We build a scheme that runs for 10 km, we redesign 8 or 9 km of good-quality running section, and we end up with around ten junctions that are not treated correctly. That takes quality away from the scheme.”
Solutions exist: setting the cycle track back to square up the crossing angles, two-way visibility buffer zones (CEREMA recommendations), separate signal phases or an early green light for bikes and pedestrians. Each junction is studied case by case, but the point is clear: quality should not be sacrificed at intersections.
Dooring and blind spots: the most frequent accidents
Three types of accident dominate cyclist casualty figures. The first: a driver turning right without checking their blind spot, hitting a cyclist riding alongside the lane. This is the scenario that caused the death of Paul Varry in Paris. The second: dooring, when a passenger opens a car door into a cyclist’s path on a cycle lane running alongside parallel parking.
“Painted cycle lanes today are really a false good idea.”
Florian is categorical: in new schemes, cycle lanes running alongside parking should no longer exist. The solution: place bikes on the other side of parked vehicles, with a safety buffer strip. The third type of accident, blind spots on heavy goods vehicles, remains the most deadly. Training, information and junction design are the three levers for preventing it.
Shops and cars in the city: debunking the myths
Shopkeepers’ fear of reduced car traffic is one of the main political obstacles. Yet studies show that local shop customers mostly arrive by public transport, on foot or by bike. Even among those who arrive by car, many say they could switch modes.
Florian notes that local authorities of every political stripe are now aware of the need to develop cycle infrastructure. The difference lies in the speed of execution. Lyon and Paris want to move fast, while other urban areas still see it as “big-city stuff”, even though commuting distances there are often just as suited to cycling.
Bikes and public transport: allies in urban space
Florian regularly works on tram and high-level bus service projects. A two-way tram platform takes up 6 to 7 metres in width, squeezing the space that is left. The challenge: not sacrificing cycle infrastructure for the benefit of public transport.
Creative solutions exist. In Lyon and Caen, some tram sections run on a single track with alternating priority to free up space. At junctions, bikes and pedestrians can use the tram’s signal phase while other traffic is held at red. These solutions turn bikes and public transport into allies rather than competitors.
Modal shift: a matter of priorities
Adding car lanes has never eased traffic flow. This paradox, already described by Stein van Oosteren on this podcast, is confirmed by Florian: cities are dense and saturate quickly under the weight of private cars. In the mobility hierarchy, the adjustment variable has to be the car, not the bike, not the pedestrian, not public transport.
“Adding extra lanes has never made traffic flow more smoothly. This has been tried again and again for decades. It is heading straight for a wall.”
