World Cycling Day

WORLD

Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century in Europe, and by the early 21st century, more than 1 billion were in existence at a given time.

Bicycle DAY

Types

Road Bicycles

The Top 10 Cities For Cycling

3rd June 2020

Top 5 Countries with Most Bicycles Per Capita

VIENNA

PARIS

BORDEAUX

ANTWERP

AMSTERDAM

UTRECHT

STRASBOURG

OSLO

HELSINKI

COPENHAGEN

Hybri Bicycles

Others

E-Bicycles

All TerrainBicycles

Author: VictorTocan

Sources: www.spokefly.com www.wired.com

The Lowdown: Bordeaux remains in sixth place on this year’s Index, as it continues to innovate and maintain the bicycle as a high priority for transportation planning in the city. The last two years saw the banning of cars from the historic Pont de Pierre bridge, allowing for a 20 per cent increase in bicycle traffic along the corridor. Strong political will has kept Bordeaux a city to watch in France, as the administration continues to remove car space in the core for sustainable transport options. The Fixes: Bordeaux’s bicycle facilities do not follow a uniform consistency, which can confuse users. There is a need for more protected facilities as well since only 22 miles of cycle tracks exist in contrast to the 60+ miles of painted lanes. In the near future, cycling must remain a high priority on the political agenda if things are to continue to improve, with higher-quality cycling links to farther-off communities within the metropolitan area.

The Lowdown: After years of relying on the shared bus and bike lanes to make up a significant part of its network, Paris is finally getting into gear and building out dedicated cycle tracks—including protected facilities on the Champs-Elysées. This new shift has bumped Paris up five spots from our 2017 Index. Against fierce opposition, local politicians have stood firm as they have opened new cycling facilities and seen impressive results, like cyclists representing 30 per cent of traffic on the Rue Rivoli, and more children riding their bikes than ever before. The Fixes: Although new infrastructure is key, more attention needs to be paid to the details of the facilities—how they connect at intersections, and how they cater to users of all ages and abilities. And enough with the confusing bidirectional cycle tracks. Additional funding should be put towards clear communication of the benefits of cycling for Parisians, supported by a strong brand identity for this amazing city. This goes hand in hand with helping to educate street users of all types on how to enjoy these new facilities.

The Lowdown: Vienna rocks into the Top 10 this time around by building upon its strengths. While the city continues with modest investments in on-street cycling infrastructure, the Austrian capital really stands out from the pack through innovative and constructive communication efforts and policy. Its 2018 campaign, #warumfährstDUnicht? (#whydontYOUcycle?) featured relatable people and clean graphic design to flip common excuses on their head. Even Vienna’s contemporaries in the Index could learn a thing or two about communications from this work.The Fixes: It’s hard to see how Vienna could rank any higher without significant investments in safe and reliable cycling infrastructure. Expecting bicycle riders to share the lane with buses and taxis is outdated and unrealistic. You wouldn’t ask a pedestrian to walk down the middle of Neustiftgasse at rush hour, why should bicycle riders?

The Lowdown: Strasbourg has long been recognized as France’s premier bicycle city. And as other French metropolises have taken note, it has maintained its top-ranking status by setting its sights beyond a centralized urban cycling network. The city’s new bicycle strategy focuses efforts on encouraging new riders, modernizing the existing network, expanding the Vélostras cycle highways into the surrounding suburbs, and tapping into the potential of cargo bikes. The Fixes: The problem with that new strategy? It’s underfunded and contentious. Politicians need to recognize the importance of the bicycle and the needed investments to increase cycling throughout the city.

The Lowdown: Over the past two years, Antwerp has built upon its well-established reputation as a bicycle-friendly city. The trifecta of visionary grassroots initiatives, professional expertise, and municipal action has driven the city forward. The city’s recent bicycle plan has focused work to improve and connect the cycling network through intersection improvements, traffic light management, and an aim to lower speed limits to 30 km/h (18.6 mph) on 95 per cent of all streets. Targeting commuter trips, Antwerp has expanded bicycle parking at train stations and is working to expand a network of cycle highways connecting to the wider region. And these strategies and investments are making a difference: Antwerp’s bicycle modal share rose from 29 to 33 per cent from 2014 to 2018, with a slight majority of female bicycle commuters. The Fixes: It's time for the political parties of Antwerp to finally acknowledge the role of cycling as a modern and efficient mode of transportation, prioritizing it over single-occupant vehicles. A continued and expedited push to upgrade the cycling network as laid out in the recent bike plan is much needed. This is made obvious by a number of tragic crashes involving trucks or cars severely injuring or killing bicycle riders, and making headlines, in recent years.

The Lowdown: It’s hard to stand out as a bicycle-friendly city in the Netherlands, but Utrecht shines with a willingness to embrace innovation and push boundaries. As with many Dutch cities, Utrecht benefits from world-class cycling infrastructure, high bicycle modal shares, convenient intermodality, and riders of all stripes. But where the city really impresses is in innovation and political will. A significant portion of the increase in bicycle modal share comes at the expense of car use. Politicians in this growing city pursue cycling as a mode of transportation to the fullest potential, prioritizing pedalling over driving, aiming to double bicycle commuting traffic by 2030. The Fixes: Utretcht’s infrastructure isn’t always intuitive for visitors. Improving the consistency and intuitiveness of on-street infrastructure by way of an improved wayfinding system could benefit commuters and visitors alike. And while the new parking at the central station has filled a huge demand, there’s increasing frustration among residents at the lack of bicycle parking spaces in the city centre.

The Lowdown: It’s 2019, and Amsterdam is back in the game. Having dropped down to third place last time around, the Dutch capital shows us how a city can recognize when things are slipping and pull themselves back up. Since the last index, the city has released an ambitious new plan for 2022 that focuses on improving bicycle parking and existing bicycle infrastructure. With 11,000 new inhabitants every year, Amsterdam is creating new “royal routes” to accommodate more bicycles. To reduce stress during rush hour, they’re widening existing cycle tracks to more than eight feet, building more low-speed cycle streets, and redesigning major intersections to allow for more protected cycling space.The Fixes: With all of this planning and political repositioning, it is now time to see the city follow through and implement this vision for the Amsterdam of the 2020s. Perhaps with additional connections for bicycles, wider facilities, clearer wayfinding, and stricter enforcement of mopeds in the cycle tracks, Amsterdam can kick Copenhagen off its perch in 2021, and take back the throne.

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The Lowdown: Norway’s capital jumped into the Top 20 in 2017 and surged into seventh position this time around. Oslo sets an example for all cities that have ever said they are too hilly or snowy to take bicycles seriously. With a concerted focus on the inner city, officials made the bold move in 2017 to ban cars from a chunk of the urban core, and significantly invest in traffic calming throughout the city while removing over 1,000 car parking spots between 2017 and 2018 for better biking and walking.The Fixes: Although the city is constantly adding its signature red bicycle lanes, there are still far too many unprotected corridors, which is reflected in a poor perception of safety for new users. Oslo must continue full steam ahead with its commitments and investments if it is going to become a truly bicycle-friendly city in the coming years.

The Lowdown:With the ambitious goal of being the world’s best metropolis of sustainable transport, the Finnish capital, much like Paris, had set its sights set on a bicycle modal share target of 15 per cent by 2020. Now at 11 per cent with a nearly equal gender split, it’s well on its way to becoming a northern leader. With over 800 miles of bicycle infrastructure and 12 miles of cycle highways (another 87 miles planned!), the city is targeting important corridors in the central core for a bicycle-oriented facelift like Hämeentie, a major boulevard to be reconstructed by 2020. The Fixes: Despite the positive developments, Helsinki lacks a strong advocacy voice pushing the administration yet further and holding them to account. Inadequacies in funding could spell problems for all of Helsinki’s bold planning to meet 2025 goals, as a recent proposal to increase annual bicycle funding from 10 to 20 million euros was not achieved. Helmet usage is also very high, with messaging from the national government focusing on finger-wagging over increased funding for infrastructure. Additionally, the hugely popular bike-share shuts down in the winter months, even though people continue to cycle.

The Lowdown: The numbers make things easy: 62 per cent of inhabitants’ trips to work or school are by bike. Copenhageners cycle 894,000 miles every day. More than $45 per capita in bicycle infrastructure investments. Four bicycle bridges built or under construction. One hundred and four miles of new regional cycle highways. And as we saw in the 2018 municipal elections, parties running on a pro-car platform don’t stand a chance. Now we just need someone to remind the Lord Mayor. The Fixes: A series of political decisions, at all scales, have put the future of Copenhagen’s cycling reputation in question. Municipal spending limits imposed by the national government have impacted infrastructure expansion and will continue to do so. Meanwhile, strong political leadership on sustainable mobility has been absent since the latest election, resulting in a lower priority to invest in cycling. Lower in priority, even, than car parking. The city will need to find a way out of this mess if it wants to serve as a global inspiration in years to come.