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Which cities are best for bikers

It only seems logical to keep writing on the subject of greener cities. And since green means eco friendly and eco friendly in urban context without any doubt means bike friendly, there we are. There is no need of pointing out why biking is so good for you, me, the planet, the planet, is there :) So here is a list of the most bike friendly cities nowadays, according to Copenhagenize Index 2013, produced by the Copenhagenize Design Co. It ranked 150 cities around the world; the parameters are 13  and include advocacy, bicycle culture, cycling facilities, infrastructure, bike share program, gender split, modal share, modal share increase since 2006, perception of safety, politics, social acceptance, urban planning, and traffic calming.

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Score: 83 Same as in 2011, Amsterdam is again N1 for bikers. Obviously, they are doing it all right “In this city the biking atmosphere is as relaxing and enjoyable as it gets.

2. Copenhagen, Denmark

Score: 81 Only 2 points behind, Copenhagen takes the 2nd place, again same as in 2011. The city is doing so much for its bikers with numerous infrastructure projects like series of  bicycle/pedestrian bridges over the harbour, the continued work on a network of bicycle superhighways.


3. Utrecht, Netherlands

Score: 77 A solid 3rd place for Utrecht, a city that was not even present in the 2011 index! Now it is a leader amongst smaller cities in showing the world how much can be done to encourage bike traffic.

4. Seville, Spain

Score: 76 The city witnessed a rapid, intense and very positive transformation thanks to a visionary political will. The rise in bicycle traffic was huge as 80 km of infrastructure were completed in one year, more added later.

5. Bordeaux, France

Score: 76 What Bordeaux has achieved in the past five years show once again that France is Europe`s most serious country when it comes to biking. The city has invested in bike lanes and cycle tracks – 200 km in Bordeauh itself, 400 km if counting the surrounding Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux.

6. Nantes, France

Score: 72 The Green Capital of Europe 2013 is definitely commited to change, as its appearance in  the index shows. Again, thanks to political will, the city underwent a positive transformation, spending €40 million on cycling between 2009 and 2014 and have increased their bicycle infrastructure to almost 400 km.

7. Antwerp, Belgium

Score: 72 Sharing the 5th place with Nantes, Antwerp is an inspiration for medium-sized cities looking to improve conditions for bicycle users


8. Eindhoven, Netherlands

Score: 66 With a solid base on which to develop and further climb the indec, Eindhoven is running numerous visionary projects dedicated to turn it into a future biking leader.

9. Malmö, Sweden

Score: 63 Sweden's third-largest city has real desire for modernization and plans on spending €47 million to boosting bicycle traffic over the next 7 years

10. Berlin, Germany

Score: 62 Berlin`s biggest gift is actually the willingness of its population to bike – the number of bikers just keeps increasing; of course the city`s constant investment in biking infrastructure only encourages them.

11. Dublin, Ireland

Score: 60 Considered a Great Bike Hope, Dublin has successfully implemented a bike share programme to reestablish biking in the city.

12. Tokyo, Japan

Score: 59 A true inspiration to other megapolises, Tokyo will soon run its metro 24/7, which for sure will increase the number of bikers in the city even more. The full index can be seen here: http://copenhagenize.eu/index/index.html