"Over the last decade, dozens of cities have reshaped streets around cycling and slower, safer, healthier travel. Take Paris: at rush hour, boulevards that were once packed with cars are now filled with thousands of people on bikes, newly planted trees, and cleaner air. In a detailed new analysis, the urban design consultancy Copenhagenize ranked 100 global cities on how far they've come to make it easier"
"Nearly all top-ranked cities are in Europe, where strong pro-bike policies have lowered speed limits, added separated bike lanes, and created new bicycle streets where bikes take priority over cars. But the benchmarking report, the most comprehensive of its kind, also looks at progress in cities worldwide, from Nairobi, Kenya-where "bike trains" of hundreds of riders make commuting by bike safer-to Minneapolis, where some car lanes have been converted to two-way bike paths."
"If any politicians have doubts about adding new bike infrastructure, "they can look at this report and see that everywhere in the world, other cities are investing in cycling, and they are getting back all the benefits from active mobility," says Clotilde Imbert, director of Copenhagenize. Cities like Paris show that massive changes can happen fast. "If you want to transform your city quickly, you can," says Imbert."
Copenhagenize ranked 100 global cities on progress to make cycling easier, assessing infrastructure, cargo-bike promotion, and bike education in schools. Top-ranked cities cluster in Europe, where policies lowered speed limits, added separated bike lanes, and created bicycle-priority streets. Paris now sees thousands of cyclists on formerly car-clogged boulevards and improved air quality. Utrecht records about a third of trips by bike and is building a car-free neighborhood plus the world's largest bike parking garage. The index also highlights global examples from Nairobi's large "bike trains" to Minneapolis's converted car lanes, showing rapid transformation is possible with clear benefits.
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