Paris ranks among the metropolises where walking plays a particularly prominent role in daily travel. To carry out this study, the Parisian Urban Planning Workshop (APUR) compared modes of transport across seven major cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.
Among these metropolises, it is in the City of Light that people walk the most. Indeed, according to survey data, 56% of trips in Paris are made entirely on foot. Whether to go grocery shopping, go to sports, to work, or to visit friends, Parisians are more inclined than Londoners (43% pedestrian trips), Berliners (38%), and all other populations surveyed to walk. This prevalence is mainly explained by the size of the city. Paris intra-muros covers only 105 km², compared to nearly 900 km² for Berlin or 1572 km² for Greater London. Among the agglomerations analyzed by APUR, only Barcelona is smaller than Paris, at 101.4 km².
Bicycling Isn’t as Popular as We Thought
Nevertheless, Parisians have travel habits that are quite different from those of residents in other major metropolises. Only 19% of Parisian households own a car. That is more than in Tokyo (16%) but less than in Barcelona and Amsterdam (33% and 28%). That does not mean, however, that these vehicles are used for all trips. Within Paris intra-muros, only 8% of journeys are made by car or motorized two-wheel vehicle. This figure rises when considering the Greater Paris metropolis, which includes the nearby suburbs.
Although many improvements have been made in recent years, and the number of cyclists has undeniably increased, the share of cycling trips in Île-de-France would not exceed 3%, compared with 34% in Amsterdam. In Paris intra-muros, cycling is nonetheless more prevalent. According to a study by the Institut Paris Région, 10.4% of residents commute to work exclusively by bicycle.
Parisians Favor Public Transport for Almost a Third of Their Trips
Of course, public transport remains to be factored into the equation. In the Paris metropolitan area, 31% of trips are made by bus, metro, tram, or Île-de-France trains. It is almost as common as in London but well below the habits of Tokyoites. There, collective transport is king, accounting for 54% of trips.
