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14th Jun 2017

The 20 most bicycle-friendly cities in the world have been revealed

“In 2017, we see Dublin exit stage left.”

Conor Heneghan

Liffey Cycle Route

No sign of Dublin, which ranked as high as ninth place in 2011.

Dublin’s slide down the pecking order of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world has been confirmed by the publication of the Copenhagenize Index 2017, the world’s most comprehensive inventory and ranking of bicycle-friendly cities.

The fourth edition of the bi-annual index, which was published on Wednesday, is the first which fails to mention Dublin as one of the 20 most bicycle-friendly cities in the world.

Having ranked as high as ninth place in 2011, Dublin has gradually slipped down the pecking order since, having placed in 11th in 2013, 15th in 2015 and now out of the top 20 for the first time.

In a press release accompanying the index, Dublin wasn’t spared when it came to explaining the reasons behind its exclusion.

“In 2017, we see Dublin exit stage left,” it read.

“After many years of progress, the city has stagnated and, to be honest, disappointed.”

136 cities around the world are considered for the Copenhagenize Index, which marks cities for their efforts towards re-establishing the bicycle as a feasible, accepted and practical form of transport.Cities are marked using the 14 specific parameters below:

Cities are marked using the 14 specific parameters below:

  • Advocacy
  • Bicycle Culture
  • Bicycle Facilities
  • Bicycle Infrastructure
  • Bike Share Programme
  • Gender Split
  • Modal Share For Bicycles
  • Modal Share Increase Since 2006
  • Perception of Safety:
  • Politics
  • Social Acceptance
  • Urban Planning
  • Traffic Calming
  • Cargo Bikes and Logistics

For the second time in succession, the Danish capital of Copenhagen topped the list, with Utrecht ranked in second place and Amsterdam missing out in a place in the top two for the first time.

Tokyo and Montreal were the only non-European cities in the top 20 (see below), while Munich, Helsinki and Oslo merited inclusion for the first time.

Check out the Copenhagenize Index in full here.

The 20 most bicycle-friendly cities in the world

  1. Copenhagen (Denmark)
  2. Utrecht (Netherlands)
  3. Amsterdam (Netherlands)
  4. Strasbourg (France)
  5. Malmo (Sweden)
  6. Bordeaux (France)
  7. Antwerp (Belgium)
  8. Ljubljana (Slovenia)
  9. Tokyo (Japan)
  10. Berlin (Germany)
  11. Barcelona (Spain)
  12. Vienna (Austria)
  13. Paris (France)
  14. Seville (Spain)
  15. Munich (Germany)
  16. Nantes (France)
  17. Hamburg (Germany)
  18. Helsinki (Finland)
  19. Oslo (Norway)
  20. Montreal (Canada)