This is the third time that Certu has published a round-up of ten years of urban mobility in France.

The purpose of this analysis is to provide a better understanding of the current situation and to identify the challenges that future transport policies will need to address. The last decade saw significant changes in mobility behaviour. Individual mobility — i.e. the number of daily trips made by each individual — which had risen significantly until the mid-2000s, remained stable and in some cases even fell, from 2005 onwards.

At the same time, car use fell for the first time in large conurbations. At national level, motor vehicle traffic levels have stabilised. Public transport, boosted by the revival of the tram, has seen passenger numbers rise, particularly in those conurbations with highly effective public transport systems. Cycling, meanwhile, has returned to the city with a flourish. Will these new trends continue in the next few years ? What role will the car play in the current decade ?