UK delegation travels to Paris to learn from city’s cycling transformation
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW), alongside a group of parliamentarians, Walking and Cycling Commissioners, and stakeholders in the active travel sector, travelled to Paris for a study tour aimed at learning about the city’s transformation for active travel.
The one-day trip was supported by Lime and Eurostar, and included representatives from Cycling UK, The Bikeability Trust, the Walk Wheel & Cycle Trust, JoyRiders, the London Cycling Campaign and others.
The group began the day in Paris with a city cycle tour using Lime eBikes, taking in key examples of the French capital’s reallocation of space for active travel. Afterwards, they met with Florent Giry, a local councillor from the City of Paris, to discuss the city’s cycling strategy, its rapid delivery of segregated cycle routes, and its plans for sustaining cycling growth beyond the Olympics.
This was followed by a meeting with Paris en Selle, a leading advocacy organisation, and discussions with Lime, whose shared eBikes and scooters have played a major role in Paris’s active mobility ecosystem.
The delegation also visited the French Parliament, where they met with Catherine Hervieu MP, Romain Legros from Réseau Vélo et Marche and other policymakers working to promote cycling nationally.
“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,” said Fabian Hamilton MP, Chair of the APPG for Cycling and Walking. “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.”
Alongside Hamilton, participating cross-party parliamentary representatives included Olly Glover MP, Ruth Cadbury MP (Chair of the Transport Select Committee), Brian Mathew MP, Mike Kane MP, and Baroness Jones. Simon O’Brien, the Walking and Cycling Commissioner for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, also joined the trip, along with Ed Clancy, the Active Lives Commissioner for the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
