Ranked number one: Copenhagen, Denmark
At bikes you have to take pleasure in them, but once you start using this means of transport regularly, you just want to move from one side to another by pedaling. And if not, ask the inhabitants of the cities that are part of the The Copenhagenize Index 2019 , the study that compiles a list with the most bike-friendly cities in the world.
The Fifth edition of this bi-annual report , that the urban design consultancy Copenhagenize Design Company started doing in 2011, rates cities based on their commitment to cycling as viable, accepted and practical means of transport.
Increasingly, cities are betting more on sustainable policies , so ending decades of car-oriented street design, creating bicycle infrastructure and restricting the use of private vehicles , are some of the actions that are cataloged in this index.
“There are many cities that are becoming bike-friendly. The competition is simply tougher than ever. And we can also see that these cities are no longer just European, but more and more continents are coming together ”, comments Morten Kabell, CEO of Copenhagenize Design Co. , to Traveler.es.
To assess each of the 115 candidate cities -chosen from a total of 600, with more than 600,000 inhabitants and a bicycle modal share of more than 2% - have been taken into account 13 parameters : bike infrastructure and facilities, priority for cyclists over motorized traffic, gender balance among users or bicycle sharing programs, among others.
“ A bike-friendly city is one where everyone feels safe when using a bicycle, where there is equal gender representation and where you see people of all ages pedaling. The infrastructure must be safe and the network must connect the whole city , where, of course, they have to abound green areas ”, clarifies Kabell.
Amsterdam, the second in the ranking
A third time Copenhagen , with 90.2%, returns to the number one spot , followed by amsterdam (89.3%) and Utrecht (88.4%) , which have exchanged positions with respect to the 2017 classification. On the other hand, Oslo , seventh, can boast of being the city that has climbed the most steps , since in the 2017 edition it was ranked 19th.
“Copenhagen is today the most bike-friendly city in the world, and has been for several years. I don't think you can copy and paste Copenhagen in Madrid , ** Seville **, Barcelona either Saint Sebastian , but they can take the best practices of infrastructure, culture and initiatives , as far as bicycles are concerned, and apply them in the Spanish context so that they work ”, he comments Morten Kabell to Traveler.es.
In addition, as a novelty, this year we can find new faces within the TOP 20: Bogotá, Bremen, Taipei and Vancouver. This shows that it is no longer just the Danes and Dutch who are the only supporters of bicycles.
On the other hand, in the current ranking we can see that The 10 best cities to use the bicycle are European , Morten Kabell explains why: “The bicycle has a longer tradition as the main means of transport in the countries of Europe. For this reason, more European cities are at the top of the list.”
And in third position... Utrecht!
“This is changing, big cities in Asia and South America are getting closer to the top. We appreciate it and look forward to the tough and friendly competition in the years to come,” he adds.
Is Spain a bike-friendly country? “Unfortunately, not enough. Barcelona , Valencia , Seville ... They have made great progress in these years, but they could do much more and faster. Madrid it is not a city where bicycles are valued as a habitual means of transport by the lack of political will And that's a shame." Kabell explains to Traveler.es.
“A key point is infrastructure. You need safe, secure, one-way bike lanes that are wide enough to carry many bikers at the same time. Build it and it will be used; I can guarantee it!” he concludes.
Do you want to discover which Spanish city is part of the ranking? To find out which are the 20 most bike-friendly cities in the world according to ** The Copenhagenize Index 2019 , visit this gallery .**
Which city in Spain is the most 'bike-friendly'?