From tourism to daily life
Bram, a small town in Occitanie, is using its touristic assets to build everyday mobility. The Canal du Midi —part of France’s national cycling route V80— attracts nearly 1.9 million cyclists per year, generating over €64 million in regional economic benefits. But for Bram, the canal is more than a visitor attraction: it is a living connection that residents use daily to reach schools, workplaces, and markets.
Through the Beyond the Urban network, Bram shares how rural territories can use existing tourism infrastructures to address local mobility challenges, linking leisure, economy, and everyday well-being.
As a lead city for its intercommunity, Bram initiated the transformation of its touristic infrastructures and equipment to meet the daily life needs of the population. This is the main aim of Bram’s Integrated Action Plan, designed with a group of 22 local and regional partners who share the same vision:
Bram, 2050: a sustainable and inclusive mobility system
Following the example of Bram, its intercommunity also began working on urban and mobility issues since October 2024 with the Territory with Inclusive Eco-Mobility label and 5 freshly recruited project managers. From this partnership came a more integrated approach, turning Bram into a full multimodal hub linking rural areas to bigger cities.
Yet it is only a start, as mobility became a focus through experimental actions and the work on the Integrated Action Plan, pretty much improved thanks to the Beyond the Urban network’s feedback and expertise, and now is the time to start implementing it in Bram’s streets!
“Bram on Bike”: a local mobility revolution
Since 2020, the “Bram on Bike” programme has turned the town into a small laboratory of active mobility. New bike lanes, shared roadways, and 30 km/h zones make cycling easier and safer. Educational projects such as “My Bike at 10” and the town’s bike-learning area help young residents gain confidence and independence: with this program, each year more than 40 children become enthusiastic cyclists!
One flagship innovation is the bike bus: a volunteer-led service that takes children to school by bike. It combines community spirit, sustainability, and fun —showing how a simple idea can meet multiple goals, from reducing emissions to building social ties.
This adventure started on May 2024, when Bram took the opportunity to create a local cyclists festival during the national May on Bike event: some parents discussed the matter and decided they could help each other taking the children to school and back. With the help of the national AVELO 3 fund, Bram’s intercommunity bought a shared bike and helped these parents creating and NGO, planning the trips and subscribing an insurance.
With more than a year’s experience, this Bike Bus experimentation is now a common way to go to school every day, for more than 20 children!
Public spaces for people
Mobility is also transforming Bram’s urban landscape. Through the participatory process “Draw Me Bram”, more than 60 residents (almost 2% of Bram’s population), aged 15-80, co-designed the renewal of two central squares —Place Carnot and Place de la République— making them safer, greener, and more inviting for pedestrians and cyclists.
This co-construction approach ensures that mobility planning reflects real local needs and strengthens the town’s sense of ownership and identity. Civil engineering is now in progress, and construction work should start in 2028.
Beyond the Urban: a shared journey
During the Beyond the Urban network meeting hosted by Bram in June 2025, more than 50 European partners experienced these projects first-hand —from a ride along the Canal du Midi to local workshops and community spaces. These exchanges highlighted a shared conviction: rural mobility is not secondary —it is essential to social inclusion, sustainable tourism, and territorial cohesion.
Through the transnational meetings, but also through coordination meetings and webinars, the Beyond the Urban network gave Bram’s city and intercommunity precious tools, tips and methodology to design a sustainable and inclusive mobility system, fully integrated with the population and institutional partners.
Key takeaway
Bram’s experience shows that by linking tourism, active mobility, and local participation, small towns can create infrastructures that serve both visitors and residents, enhancing their role as hubs between rural areas and bigger cities.
In Bram, cycling is no longer just for holidays — it’s part of everyday life
Keywords
Bram, Beyond the Urban, URBACT, rural mobility, cycling, Canal du Midi, sustainable tourism, active travel, co-construction, community engagement
This article was written by Eliott Jacquot, the Mobility Project Manager at Bram.
