For the Global Bicycle Cities Index 2022 report, digital insurance company Luko surveyed 90 cities around the globe to discover those with the perfect cycling infrastructure.
They selected some famous cycling cities from around the globe, in addition to some lesser-known places that were improving their cycling infrastructure. They then assessed each area based on a series of criteria to find out whether the town was conducive to cycling.
They began by examining the proportion of cyclists, which is a wonderful indicator of the general health of cycling, in addition to prerequisites comparable to safety, cycling crime and road infrastructure. It examined the variety of stolen bicycles, bicycle fatalities and accidents, the length of separated bicycle paths, investments in road quality and other aspects.
Then, to create a generalized picture of every city’s climate, they calculated average hours of sunshine, millimeters of precipitation, and the frequency of days with extreme weather. This is because weather conditions have a major impact on many recreational riders.
They checked out the variety of shared bikes, in addition to the number of motorcycle sharing and rental stations in each city, to incorporate information in regards to the growth of motorcycle sharing, for the reason that sharing economy is a billion-dollar industry.
Finally, the recognition of unique cycling events comparable to Car Free Day and Critical Mass was taken into consideration to come to a decision which locations could be best for cyclists and their communities. The best cycling cities were then chosen by rating each factor.
90 cities were chosen as a result of their willingness to become involved and work on projects that improve cycling infrastructure and safety. The study assessed the cycling climate for these 90 locations based on criteria vital to bike users, somewhat than rating the perfect and worst places to ride. The final rankings are given on a scale of 0 to 100, with the next rating indicating a greater city.
The study focused on six fundamental categories, with the next aspects making a city friendly to cyclists:
1. Weather
2. Percentage of bicycle use.
3. Crime and safety: fatalities / 100,000 cyclists, accidents / 100,000 cyclists, variety of bicycle thefts.
4. Infrastructure: variety of bicycle shops / 100,000 cyclists, specialized roads and road quality rating, investment and infrastructure quality rating.
5. Sharing: Number of motorcycle sharing and rental stations / 100,000 points,
6. Events: Car Free Day, Critical Mass Result.
For example, a weather rating was created by assessing and averaging hours of sunshine, rainfall, and days of maximum weather in each city. The weighted average was then used to acquire the ultimate rankings for every category.
According to the Global Bicycle Cities Index 2022, Utrecht within the Netherlands is essentially the most bicycle-friendly city on the earth. Eight additional European cities, including Hangzhou (China), feature in the highest ten, joining Utrecht because the only non-European city.
Ultimately, no American city made the highest 10 list, and the highest-ranked American city was San Francisco, which got here in thirty ninth place. Portland and Seattle rank forty first and fiftieth, respectively, in the highest 50. Many of their European counterparts, where using bicycles for on a regular basis transportation is more deeply rooted within the culture, are known for being more bicycle-friendly than American metropolises.
Source: Luko Global Bicycle City Index 2022, WeForum.org
