Recent surveys by the Mobile Lives Forum show that around 30% of the French population live locally, yet many trips under 5 km are made by car. There is therefore huge potential for a modal shift to active modes of transport (Kaufmann et al. 2020, Héran 2021). A great deal of research has been carried out on cycling and walking in recent years, but mainly in disciplines similar to engineering and operational research. We have opted instead to focus our attention on comprehensive and experiential approaches to cycling and walking, i.e. from the standpoint of geography, sociology, public health and traffic accidents, as well as ergonomics and urban planning. The purpose of this research note is to provide a thorough understanding of this paradox. It aims to explore, through a detailed overview of the current research in social sciences and urban planning, the ingredients that are likely to enable people to lead lifestyles in which walking and cycling are more regularly practised as a means of transport in daily life, offering an overview of the current knowledge on the matter, of avenues worth exploring in the future and of some more controversial topics, with a particular focus on sociological aspects related to these modes of travel.