16 WINTER 2020 / POPSCI.COM
/UTRECHT NETHERLANDS1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10
ANTWERP BELGIUMCOPENHAGEN DENMARKAMSTERDAM NETHERLANDSMALMÖ SWEDENHANGZHOU CHINABERN SWITZERLANDBREMEN GERMANYHANOVER GERMANYEVENTS
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
POSSIBLESHARING
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLERANKSAFETY
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLEINFRASTRUCTURE
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLEWEATHER
HIGHEST SCORE
POSSIBLE17 89318915331048208424987290
828877837892808587775964636163595453595958513455564733656054MÜNSTER GERMANY28034604461166218101943347748233577316 WINTER 2020 / POPSCI.COM
ABSTRACTEDby ANDREW SMALL /
illustration by MSJONESNYCpedal 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 INDEXKEY