The French favor river transport
In an Ifop survey on the image of the river network among the general public, carried out at the end of 2021 at the request of Voies navigables de France, it appears that 90% of French people would like river freight transport to be further developed.
River transport is on the rise. Voies navigables de France (VNF) has just delivered the first results of the survey commissioned at the end of 2021 from Ifop on the image of the river network among the general public. As such, it would seem that this mode of transport, although less used than others, can play a role of choice in terms of ecological transition.
A credible alternative
Appearing in the eyes of 8 out of 10 French people as a relevant solution for relieving congestion on the road and rail transport networks, “the use of freight transport by river is thus strongly favored by the respondents, who believe for 90% of them that the use of the transport of goods by river, particularly in dense urban areas, must be a priority for the years to come”, indicates VNF in a press release.
In terms of assets, the ecological nature of this mode of transport is cited by 76% of those questioned, and the lack of noise pollution by 79% of those polled. “With up to 5 times less CO2 emissions than the road sector per tonne transported, I am convinced that river transport is a credible and solid alternative to participating in the decarbonisation of the transport sector, which represents 30 % of the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions”, comments Thierry Guimbaud, Managing Director of VNF.
