The Legacy and Sustainability plan for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games — 72 AN INITIATIVE ACCELERATED AS A RESULT OF THE GAMES EMPHASIS ON CYCLING SKILLS AND ACTIVE MOBILITY Cars remain the most popular form of transport in France. 45% of car journeys are less than five kilometres, with 19% less than two kilometres. 70% of workers drive to work in cars most of the time and cars remain the most popular choice of transport for parents who drive their children to school. Six in 10 children and teenagers take a motorised form of transport to travel less than two kilometres between their home and school. Active forms of transport remain underused today, making up one quarter of all journeys in France, with walking accounting for 22% and cycling for 3% of trips. The health crisis in 2020 accelerated the use of active forms of transport. Against that backdrop, the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Ministry of Sport teamed up with ten national cycling stakeholders to launch “Mai à vélo”, an annual event held in May to promote cycling in everyday life as well as active forms of mobility in general. The long-term goal is to permanently instil this new culture in France, particularly in Paris city centre and the rest of the Greater Paris Region. Furthermore, in its Games legacy plan, the French State has set out to “triple the proportion of journeys made by bicycle in France by 2024”. The Greater Paris regional authorities (through their Cycling Plan) and Paris City Council (through its commitments to making all streets in the city cycle-friendly by 2024) also aim to improve cycling skills as part of their legacy. Paris 2024 is getting involved in this initiative to: • promote cycling to work in collaboration with its stakeholders and partner marketing companies; • encourage young children to cycle, particularly in areas awarded the ‘ Terre de Jeux 2024’ label. The expansion of active mobility and improved cycling skills enables people to keep physically active and help reduce the impact transport has on the environment and the climate. © – romrodinka/Getty Images