IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i2p448-d1562919.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Abandoning the Car to Embrace the Bicycle in Urban France: A Model of Modal Shift for Daily Commuting Routines

Author

Listed:
  • Marion Gras Gentiletti

    (Ergonomics Department, CRTD, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, 75003 Paris, France)

  • Béatrice Cahour

    (I3 UMR 9217, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute of Innovation, ESS Department, Télécom Paris and Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France)

  • Stéphane Safin

    (I3 UMR 9217, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute of Innovation, ESS Department, Télécom Paris and Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France)

Abstract

The current climate context is prompting a reconsideration of transportation modes, with the bicycle offering significant benefits, including reduced emissions, noise pollution, and urban congestion and improved public health. Despite policies encouraging cycling, many urban French citizens struggle to adopt it. Rather than focusing on barriers, this study examines individuals who have reduced or abandoned car use in favor of cycling in urban areas. The study describes the modal shift process of 20 individuals from four cities in France, with diverse socio-economic backgrounds and ages. Through semi-structured, biographical interviews, key stages in the transition are identified: predispositions, triggering factors, exploration and trial, and long-term appropriation. The article also explores situations where cyclists revert to car use for specific trips. Findings reveal favorable conditions for cycling but also highlight challenges, offering insights that could influence urban planning policies in France.

Suggested Citation

  • Marion Gras Gentiletti & Béatrice Cahour & Stéphane Safin, 2025. "Abandoning the Car to Embrace the Bicycle in Urban France: A Model of Modal Shift for Daily Commuting Routines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-34, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:2:p:448-:d:1562919
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/2/448/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/2/448/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Henrike Rau & Antonia Matern, 2024. "Mobility practices in a changing climate: Understanding shifts in car ownership and use across the life course," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(5), pages 869-888, September.
    2. Brown, Anne E., 2017. "Car-less or car-free? Socioeconomic and mobility differences among zero-car households," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 152-159.
    3. Alexandra Cortez-Ordoñez & Ana Belén Tulcanaza-Prieto, 2023. "The Effect of Gender and Age in Small Bicycle Sharing Systems: Case Study from Logroño, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, May.
    4. Ben Clark & Kiron Chatterjee & Steve Melia, 2016. "Changes in level of household car ownership: the role of life events and spatial context," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 565-599, July.
    5. Limanond, Thirayoot & Butsingkorn, Tanissara & Chermkhunthod, Chutima, 2011. "Travel behavior of university students who live on campus: A case study of a rural university in Asia," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 163-171, January.
    6. Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman & Sung-Wook Kwon & Dennis Patterson, 2019. "Municipal Efforts to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Evidence from U.S. Cities on the U.S.-Mexico Border," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-19, August.
    7. Laura McCarthy & Alexa Delbosc & Graham Currie & Andrew Molloy, 2021. "Trajectories and transitions: mobility after parenthood," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 239-256, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shengxiao(Alex) Li, 2024. "Vehicle ownership over the life course among older Americans: a longitudinal analysis," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 247-270, February.
    2. L. E. Karjalainen & M. Tiitu & J. Lyytimäki & V. Helminen & P. Tapio & A. Tuominen & T. Vasankari & J. Lehtimäki & R. Paloniemi, 2023. "Going carless in different urban fabrics: socio-demographics of household car ownership," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 107-142, February.
    3. Lagrell, Ellen & Thulin, Eva & Vilhelmson, Bertil, 2018. "Accessibility strategies beyond the private car: A study of voluntarily carless families with young children in Gothenburg," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 218-227.
    4. Mehzabin Tuli, Farzana & Mitra, Suman & Crews, Mariah B., 2021. "Factors influencing the usage of shared E-scooters in Chicago," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 164-185.
    5. Edmond Daramy-Williams & Jillian Anable & Susan Grant-Muller, 2019. "Car Use: Intentional, Habitual, or Both? Insights from Anscombe and the Mobility Biography Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-17, December.
    6. Asmussen, Katherine E. & Mondal, Aupal & Bhat, Chandra R., 2022. "Adoption of partially automated vehicle technology features and impacts on vehicle miles of travel (VMT)," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 156-179.
    7. Schouten, Andrew & Blumenberg, Evelyn, 2024. "License to drive: State driver’s licensing laws and the travel of unauthorized immigrants," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    8. Srisan, Tat & Bills, Tierra, 2024. "A case for race and space in auto ownership modeling: A Los Angeles County study," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 182-197.
    9. Rotaris, Lucia & Danielis, Romeo, 2015. "Commuting to college: The effectiveness and social efficiency of transportation demand management policies," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 158-168.
    10. Sultana, Selima, 2015. "Factors associated with students' parking-pass purchase decisions: Evidence from an American University," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 65-75.
    11. Doddamani, Chetan & Manoj, M. & Maurya, Yashasvi, 2021. "Geographical scale of residential relocation and its impacts on vehicle ownership and travel behavior," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    12. Rezaei, Nazanin & Todd-Blick, Annika & Fujita, K. Sydny & Popovich, Natalie & Needell, Zachary & Poliziani, Cristian & Caicedo, Juan David & Guirado, Carlos & Spurlock, C. Anna, 2024. "At the nexus of equity and transportation modeling: Assessing accessibility through the Individual Experienced Utility-Based Synthesis (INEXUS) metric," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    13. Bindong Sun & Rui Guo & Chun Yin, 2023. "Inequity on suburban campuses: University students disadvantaged in self‐improvement travel," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 404-420, June.
    14. Doddamani, Chetan & Manoj, M., 2022. "Residential relocation and changes in household vehicle ownership and travel behavior: Exploring the context of Hubli-Dharwad twin-cities in India from a planning viewpoint," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 134-155.
    15. Miwa Matsuo, 2020. "Carpooling and drivers without household vehicles: gender disparity in automobility among Hispanics and non-Hispanics in the U.S," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 1631-1663, August.
    16. Evan Iacobucci, 2024. "“Would it be weird to live here without a car?”: Using social media to understand car ownership decisions," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 475-500, April.
    17. Khaled Assi & Uneb Gazder & Ibrahim Al-Sghan & Imran Reza & Abdullah Almubarak, 2020. "A Nested Ensemble Approach with ANNs to Investigate the Effect of Socioeconomic Attributes on Active Commuting of University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-17, May.
    18. Li, Shengxiao (Alex) & Duan, Hongyu (Anna) & Smith, Tony E. & Hu, Haoyu, 2021. "Time-varying accessibility to senior centers by public transit in Philadelphia," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 245-258.
    19. Ellen Lagrell & Ana Gil Solá, 2021. "Car Use of the Carless in Sweden: Everyday Life Conditions for Reducing Car Dependence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-19, September.
    20. Minh Hieu Nguyen & Dorina Pojani, 2023. "Why are Hanoi students giving up on bus ridership?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(3), pages 811-835, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:2:p:448-:d:1562919. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.