The Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport have unveiled the government's bicycle plan to encourage the French to kick more. Of the measures, the obligatory registration of bicycles has attracted particular attention. What does this registration of both wheels look like?

It must be inspired by the Bicycode, the system that has already been installed and created by the French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB). This is a code engraved on the bicycle frame with a transparent label on the top (image below). There are 150 operators in France who are members of the Federation and who practice this registration. And it costs between 5 and 10 euros. Today, 400,000 bicycles are registered in the database. This is a very small part of the French fleet estimated at 25 million.

Moreover, it is not a registration as such but a marking. Policemen who flash your code do not have access to your personal information and can not verbalize you. They can easily know if the bike has been stolen and, if so, know who they are part of.

Initially, only new bicycles are entitled to their small code. Cycle dealers must be responsible for picking up and engraving bicycles. But there is also an extension to used bicycles via resale. Especially when you are at Leboncoin or another company, you need a proof of ownership for the seller. This is necessary before you have marked your bike.

Registration should not apply to all bicycles. The application decree provides details, but if you have bought a small bicycle on wheels for your 3-year-old son, you probably do not have to register it. "It would not make sense to identify toy bikes that are ridiculously cheap," says Claude Lievens, vice president of the FUB.

Cycle flights doubled in 10 years

Because the purpose of this identification is to prevent bicycle thefts that increase significantly in France. "The idea is that unmarked bicycles can no longer find buyers in France", said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe during the presentation of the bicycle plan. The government is planning to develop the system at European level to tackle recycling channels for bicycles.

It is estimated that at least 400,000 stolen bicycles in France, a figure that has doubled in 10 years. This is twice as much, for example the theft of cars of which the fleet is much higher (40 million cars against 25 million bicycles). And since the average price of the bike sold in France is 350 euros, this means a loss of 140 million euros for the French company.

But why should this "registration" be mandatory? First to find them easier in case of theft. And then to deter thieves by generalizing the marker. "It's a bit like the vaccine," says Claude Lievens, "it takes a whole population to be vaccinated, so it's effective, and that's the same for tagging, and all bikes need to be marked and registered to get thieves off. to scare. "