Paris has experienced an unprecedented cycling revolution in recent years, driven by proactive policies and rigorous monitoring of usage.
Paris, France has been working with Eco-Counter for years and has gradually equipped itself with a comprehensive solution for analyzing bicycle traffic to measure the impact of its developments in real time, adapt its strategies, and communicate effectively on the progress made. A combination of permanent bicycle counters, mobile counters, Eco-DISPLAYs, data analysis, and data sharing software has made it possible to systematically monitor bicycle traffic and communicate with the public about the spectacular transformations of a city that has gradually become a world-class cycling capital.
The case study below describes how bicycle count data played a key role in this transition, supporting the actions taken, legitimizing policy choices, and communicating successes.
The 2015-2020 Cycling Plan aimed for 15% of journeys to be made by bicycle by 2020 (modal share of cycling), with a budget of €150 million to double the cycling network through the creation of an Express Cycle Network and a secondary network. The first projects enabled the creation of an initial network, even though only 56% of the planned projects were ultimately completed (with some of which were unsatisfactory) according to the "Paris en selle" association.
Despite this, by 2019, the effects of this plan were already beginning to take shape: some of the completed developments had led to a significant increase in usage. For example, on the new Boulevard Voltaire cycle path, there were already twice as many cyclists as in 2018.
Several exceptional events demonstrated the significant potential of cycling, including a 46% increase in average bicycle traffic during the strikes in the winter of 2019.
But things are accelerating during and following the COVID-19 health crisis. This was also driven by the city's new 2021-2026 Cycling Plan, which allocated a budget of €250 million to continue developing its “cycling system”: infrastructure, services, communication, and, of course, monitoring traffic flows with bicycle counting.
We met with city officials at that time to understand how data was being used to monitor this new Cycling Plan.
The cumulative effect of this policy and the health crisis is acted as a catalyst. Bicycle counters recorded an explosion in bicycle use (+67% between 2019 and 2021 on certain routes), justifying the continuation of the 50 km of emergency bike lanes (including the iconic Rue de Rivoli bike lane). The first instances of bicycle traffic exceeding car traffic appeared.
Overall, over the period, bicycle lane usage increased by 34% between 2020 and 2024, confirming the bicycle as an essential mode of transportation for Parisians.
In 2024, a survey showed that 27% of Parisians have increased their use of bicycles in one year, compared with a 15% decline in car use, figures confirmed by bicycle traffic count data. Paris confirms its status as an internationally renowned cycling city.
Source (in French): https://www.paris.fr/pages/le-bilan-des-deplacement-a-paris-en-2024-31371
Following this sharp increase in cycling, usage data also highlighted the congestion of certain bike lanes, such as Boulevard Sébastopol, which is narrow in some sections and yet recorded more than 22,000 trips in September 2024.
Rue de Rivoli, an iconic axis of Paris's transformation, also experiences significant peaks in traffic.
The figures made it possible to proceed with the widening of existing bike lanes. In the case of Rue de Rivoli, it has been gradually widened to accommodate an ever-increasing flow of cyclists.
In 2025, bicycle traffic in Paris now far exceeds car traffic, marking a major transition in urban transportation modes.
According to a study by the Paris Region Institute, 11.2% of intra-city trips are made by bicycle, compared to only 4.3% by car.
Between Paris and the inner suburbs, 14% of trips are made by bicycle, compared to 11.8% by car.
The busiest routes (e.g., Boulevard Sébastopol, Quai d'Orsay, Rue de Rivoli) continue to break traffic records, particularly in June 2025, marking the highest level of traffic ever recorded by the capital's official counters.
History of bicycle traffic in Paris since 2020 on a panel of reference count sites.
In parallel with measuring traffic for daily monitoring and anticipating development needs to support the incredible explosion in cycling, displays have played an important role in citizen buy-in, creating a ripple effect.
On the world map of displays that we offer, the Paris Sébastopol and Paris Rivoli displays are regularly the most visited of the 400+ displays installed worldwide.
These displays have also been used creatively, notably during the Olympic Games by Tony Estanguet and the Olympic Committee, to communicate about the sporting event.
Paris illustrates how reliable, field-based data, supported by powerful communication tools, can be used to:
✅ Objectively measure progress.
✅ Adapt facilities in real time.
✅ Convince and unite the public around active transportation.