Last week, I had the chance to visit the city of Nantes as part of the preparations for the 2015 Velo-city conference. In addition to (heavy) meetings and (heavy) lunches, I could cycle around the city with a special guide.

Even before the tour had started, bicycles were on the menu. Several bikes coloured orange and blue stand waiting in the entrance of the city hall. There I met Cédric Guilbaud, who has been working in the transport department of Nantes métropole since 2004.

Nantes métropole is a mid-size European city with more than half a million inhabitants, situated 50 Km from the Atlantic ocean on the Loire river. It is a provincial French city which has seen its cycling modal share jump from 2% in 2008 to 4.5% in 2013 (even 5.3% in the center of the agglomeration). And it keeps going up steadily points Cédric “between 2013 and 2014 we have measured +5.3% on our automated counting locations”

We get on our bikes and followed the Loire for a couple of minutes. Along this river, the longest in France, cyclists have the choice to stay on the street in a cycle lane or to go along the banks. At the time we cycle, the sun rays only seldom pierced the light morning mist. Oh!, we've just passed by EuroVelo signposting. Nantes is at the crossroads of two EuroVelo routes, 1 and 6. One runs North-to-South and the other West-to-East. These mammoth bicycle routes (1000km+) have been created to ease the passing of cycle tourists, but they also cater for locals. For instance, since a cycle path was created on a section of the North-South EuroVelo 1 route, the number of cyclists passing through it rose from 800 to 4800/day. This is the “cours des 50 otages” section, for those of you who are familiar with the city.

My guide for the day

Bicycle paths and lanes are all over the place. Cedric explains me each time how the space was reallocated in favour of bikes. To get to this point, the cycling officers had to overcome many barriers. Convincing the other traffic departments to take cycling into account from the start of any project was not always easy. But through the years, he has been able to witness changes and the struggle to push the cycling agenda has gradually dissipated. Infrastructure staff have started thinking of cyclists' needs by themselves.

Nantes has been at the forefront of innovation for cycling infrastructure in France. For instance, signposting to allow cyclists to cross red lights at certain junctions was first tested in Nantes - it has now entered the French road code.

According to Cédric, the key to success of this impressive changes is a conjunction of factors. Tight public budgets have pushed cycling [which is particularly cost efficient] to the fore. Furthermore, social demand and a strong political will have prioritized resources in favour of cycling projects, making the inclusion of cycling into each infrastructure project a default setting.

When being asked the realisation he is more proud of, my orange helmeted guide humbly answers [in French, but I translate – you are welcome-] “The thing I am most proud of is not one particular project; instead it is the whole development. Before 2009, I had never imagined it could be possible” and he adds: “This is the result of a collective work within Nantes Métropole but also with partners and users”.

On these words of wisdom, you ought to make sure you have blocked the dates of June 2-5 to pay him a visit during our next and very promising Velo-city conference.

Stay tuned on www.velo-city2015.com - the call for papers is still open.

Photos from my tour: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eucyclistsfed/sets/72157647910691049/

About the author:

Chloé Mispelon is a Communications Officer at ECF, when not behind her computer in Brussels making sure ecf.com is up-to-date, she goes out on two wheels taking pictures of the cycling world.