The Dutch city of Utrecht has been named as the world’s most bicycle-friendly city by the Global Bicycle Cities Index 2022. The study, conducted by digital insurance company Luko, analyzed 90 cities across the globe, based on indicators grouped under six categories: the weather, bicycle usage, crime & safety, infrastructure, bike sharing opportunities and awareness events such as ‘No Car Day’. The final results are presented on a scale from 0 to 100, where the higher the score, the better the city. Utrecht is joined by eight other European cities in the top 10, with Hangzhou (China) the only non-European city in the top tier of the ranking.
As our chart shows, no American cities have made it onto the top 10 roundup, with San Francisco the highest-ranked U.S. city coming in at 39th place. Portland and Seattle are also among the top 50, in 41st and 50th respectively. U.S. metropolises aren’t known for being as bike-friendly as many of their European counterparts, where cycling for everyday transportation is more deeply ingrained in the culture.