Top 10 Most Bike Friendly Cities in the World

Every city may have unique geographic, cultural, sociodemographic and economic features but some cities have created an exemplary bike friendly environment. Considering the various offers, the following cities are worth a (bike) ride.

The Scandinavian countries are generally known for their sustainability and unspoilt nature, but their green mobility concepts turns even the big cities into breathable oases. Bikes tend to have the same status as cars, on the road and in the minds. At the top are (1) Copenhagen, (2) Göteborg, and (3) Oslo. Not even the water of the archipelago of (4) Stockholm can stop cyclists. The typical cycling paradise (5) Amsterdam (the Netherlands) can compete with the Scandinavians, since the city is not designed for cars, but for bicycles.

Less known is (6) Vienna (Austria), which offers a green belt around the city exclusively for cyclists and pedestrians, bike lanes throughout the centre, and bike sharing services on strategic points. (7) Zürich (Switzerland) is absolutely working on banning the car from the city centre by improving bike infrastructure and discouraging car use, which goes together to encourage cycling instead of driving.

Driven by air pollution and traffic congestion, some Asian cities are putting a lot of effort into become bike friendly as well. (8) Singapore pioneers in several ways, from an extremely well connected overall mobility system, in which biking is included, to protection for vulnerable road users around construction sites. Innovative metropolises (9) Tokyo and (10) Shanghai join the list for their high organisational levels, however the enormous amount of shared bikes becomes a new challenge.

North American metropolises, New York City and Washington DC, are on the rise. While they extend bike sharing services, some European bike sharing companies have to cope with vandalism, challenging their sustainability. 

Image: Bicycles in front of an orange house façade in Nyboder (historic row house district of former Naval barracks in Copenhagen, Denmark).

Author: Fien Van den Steen