The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined mobility habits. The bicycle has often been identified as one of the 'winners' of this crisis, with sales in Switzerland reaching record levels in 2020. Some cities, such as Geneva and Lausanne, created temporary cycling facilities - the 'coronapistes' - after the 2020 confinement. The aim was both to accommodate the growth in post-containment cycle traffic and to prevent disaffection with public transport shifting to motorised individual transport.

This research is based on a survey distributed in the summer of 2021 in the cities of Geneva and Lausanne. It was supplemented by an intercept survey in Lausanne.

It addresses two questions: (1) How did cycling evolve with the pandemic? and (2) How were the transitional arrangements put in place after the confinement received?

Three messages summarise the main findings: (a) cycling increased overall with the pandemic, (b) coronapists improved traffic conditions for people travelling by bike, and (c) the reception of coronapists varies according to mobility habits and political positioning.

Publications:

• Schmassmann, Aurélie, et Patrick Rérat. (2022) « Évaluation des aménagements cyclables liés à la crise sanitaire: le cas de Lausanne ». Etudes urbaines 6. (https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_732ABFF52B05.P001/REF)
• Rérat, Patrick, Lucas Haldimann, et Hannah Widmer. (2022) « Le vélo en période de pandémie. Évolution des pratiques et effets des «coronapistes» à Genève et Lausanne ». Etudes urbaines 7. (https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_2084884F4829.P001/REF)
• Rérat, Patrick, Lucas Haldimann, et Hannah Widmer. (2022) « Cycling in the Era of Covid-19: The Effects of the Pandemic and Pop-up Cycle Lanes on Cycling Practices ». Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2022.100677 )