Paris, Sep 21 (IANS): French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced a second bicycle fund of 250 million euros ($250 million) for 2023.
After launching the first bicycle fund four years ago when she was minister of transport, Borne said that the idea is to provide the means to transform France into "a bicycle nation", Xinhua news agency reported.
In 2021, the bicycle was the best-selling means of transport in France.
In the past four years, 14,000 km of cycle paths were added in France, and more than 170,000 young French people learned how to ride a bike. The Olympic and Paralympic Games in the country in 2024 will confirm the importance of the bicycle in France, Borne said.
In 2018, the first bicycle plan was set up, with a budget of 350 million euros for 2018-2025. During the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, an additional 150 million euros were added from the recovery plan.