Welcome News from the World Of Cycling
Back in 2015, Copenhagen took the lead from Amsterdam as “the world’s most bike-friendly city”. 62% of trips to school or work by citizens were by bike, for a collective 1.44 million km traveled a day. There were four bicycle bridges completed or under construction in the last few years, adding to the 12 bike / pedestrian bridges built in just the last decade. 42,000 Copenhageners cross the Queen Louises Bridge via bike every weekday, and even more ride the 167 km of regional, cycling highways.
Copenhagen was not always this way.
It took political will and major incentives over several decades to create a culture and incremental expansion of new cycling infrastructure to support and sustain this global model. For the past several years, the phrase “Copenhagenize” has been ubiquitous when speaking about transitioning cities to embrace the social, economic, environmental, and health benefits that come from urban cycling. There is even a “Copenhagenize Index” , established in 2011, which measures a city’s “bike friendly” status through three categories :
Culture
Infrastructure
Ambition
For example, the index measures how many trips are made on a bike, how many kilometres of roads, pathways, lanes and bridges are dedicated to safe use by cyclists and pedestrians, and how much secure bike-parking is provided. Check out how the scores are calculated, under “methodology”. The Index’s motto is: “With rising urbanisation, our cities need modern, mobility solutions and the bicycle proves time and again that it can offer results.”
Canadian-Danish urbanist / designer Mikael Colville-Andersen cleverly stamped his website with the phrase. His scheduled scheme for 7,550 bike parking spots behind Copenhagen Central Train Station (which includes 640 secure spots, 30 for cargo-bikes, with a bike shop and lots of public space) is emblematic of the movement.
Copenhagen Index
The last published Copenhagen Index with statistics from 2019, listed Copenhagen in the top spot, with a score of 90.2%. Amsterdam and Utrecht were in a close race for second, at 89.3% and 88.4%, respectively. Zygg is delighted to report that Canada has two cities in the Top 20 worldwide, with Montreal and Vancouver in a tie for the number 18th spot (53.6%). See how the top 20 performed, via the link, above.
During the past two years, as a response to the pandemic, in tandem with a desire to create a more carbon-neutral urban form, there has been an exponential shift towards putting cycling, walking and public transit first, ahead of the car. Many cities have made huge strides in these areas. Montreal and Vancouver are in good company.
Montreal & Vancouver - frontrunners in Canadian cycling infrastructure
Montreal was one of the first cities in North America to establish biking infrastructure - as early as the 1980s - and increased their cycling culture between 2007-2009 with a larger, extensive network of bike lanes and the bike-share BIXI. Recently, the city was quick to build 112 km of “Safe Active Lanes” for cyclists and pedestrians in the summer of 2020, as part of a total 327km of new biking infrastructure that same year. Montreal even has its own “Copenhagenize Office” which hosted the first-ever North American Master Class for in-depth analysis and workshopping into cycling across the continent, in the autumn of 2021. Although Montreal is a leading cycling-city, the Index denotes areas for improvement: including, a need for more safe, separated lanes (not just paint which wears off), greater winter maintenance and better multi-modal connections with public transit.
The Index praises Vancouver not only for new lanes on major downtown streets, but also over key bridges (an initiative which took strategic lobbying and engineering) creating an expansion of routes to the suburbs with paths through surrounding regions like Surrey and Richmond. Vancouver, formerly a place for exploration and “leisure-cycling”, has now converted to a bike-commuting culture. Cargo bikes and e-bikes for delivery are also very visible on the streets of Vancouver, which Zygg will profile in a future Blog post.
Paris & Milan taking big steps towards being the “most bike friendly city”
As we await the next Index, revealing who will take on bragging rights for “most bike friendly city”, (crossing our fingers that Toronto will crack the top 20), we want to highlight advances in a couple of the key performers: Paris and Milan:
Back in 2014, the visionary Mayor of Paris Anne Hildalgo was elected on a platform to reduce car use, and clear the way for more walking, cycling, and transit. The first step was the removal of 70,000 parking spaces in the city-core and an aim to make Paris 100% cyclable by 2026.
Rue Rivoli
This past December, Ridecaster Jason Slaughter of “Not Just Bikes” created an engaging video-tour via ebike entitled: “How To Quickly Build A Cycling City - Paris”. The film reveals the rapid transition to more bike routes / paths, tunnels, parking, cargo bike parking, sparkling water stations, roadside bike counters, pedestrian & cycling wayfinding, and a huge fleet of ebikes added to the public Vélib' Métropole bike rental program. The thrilling trip through Rue de Rivoli is the best symbol that Paris is no longer controlled by the car. Jason observed some kinks in Paris’ overall cycling network - mainly due to such accelerated change - however, there is so much sound, global research, at this point, he cites little need for “test / pilot-projects”. Paris has embraced it and put it into motion. Copenhagen better watch its back.
Paris has even more plans on the horizon. Canadian urban planner Brent Toderian recently lauded the new Paris 2021-2026 Urban Biking Plan which will invest €250 million to, among other things, make 52km of pandemic bike-lanes permanent; add 130km of new bike-lanes; add 130K new bike parking spots; & teach all elementary school students to bike.
And, more exciting news from Milan: The city has approved a £200 Million Plan to create a new 750km network of bike paths linking 80% of the city to bike paths, and connect the city to surrounding areas. The goal is to achieve a 20% modal shift to biking by 2035.
Bravo!
2022 looks like a great year! #getoutside #cyclesafe