16 WINTER 2020 / POPSCI.COM
/
UTRECHT NETHERLANDS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10
ANTWERP BELGIUM
COPENHAGEN DENMARK
AMSTERDAM NETHERLANDS
MALMÖ SWEDEN
HANGZHOU CHINA
BERN SWITZERLAND
BREMEN GERMANY
HANOVER GERMANY
EVENTS
Whether city has no-car
days • popularity of bike-
related events
SHARING
Number of bicycle sharing
or rental stations • number of
shared bikes
CRIME & SAFETY
Fatality rate • accident rate
- bicycle theft rate
WEATHER
Number of sunshine hours •
annual precipitation • number
of days between 32°F and 86°F
INFRASTRUCTURE
Number of bike shops •
bicycle roads per person
- investment
EVENTS
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLE
SHARING
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLE
RANK
SAFETY
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLE
INFRASTRUCTURE
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLE
WEATHER
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLE
17 89
31
89
15
33
10
48
20
84
24
98
72
90
82
88
77
83
78
92
80
85
87
77
59
64
63
61
63
59
54
53
59
59
58
51
34
55
56
47
33
65
60
54
MÜNSTER GERMANY
280
3460
446
1166
218
1019
433
477
482
335
773
16 WINTER 2020 / POPSCI.COM
ABSTRACTED
by ANDREW SMALL /
illustration by MSJONESNYC
pedal pushers
AMSTERDAM WAS ONCE JUST
as car-clogged as any other major
city. But in 1995, bikers began to
outnumber drivers. Copen hagen
reached that same milestone in
- Like other modern pedaling
paradises, they invested hundreds
of millions in making roads safe
and convenient for two-wheelers.
Introducing bike sharing has en-
couraged an influx of casual riders,
and installing infrastructure like
protected, designated cycle lanes
has helped prevent crashes.
This chart breaks down the five
major factors that have gotten—and
kept—gears turning in the top 10
velophile havens around the world.
One surprising finding? Weather
isn’t everything. As daily cyclists in
snowy Bern and rainy Antwerp will
happily attest, pedaling is an excel-
lent way to keep warm.
SOURCE: COYA 2019 BICYCLE CITIES INDEX
KEY