From Amsterdam to Vilnius: European cities with the most and least cyclists

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For many years, the European Commission has actively encouraged citizens to “use their own energy”. Active mobility is well known as an important way to not only save energy but also promote physical and mental health.

Cycling is one of the best ways to do this, but new research shows relatively few people cycle across Europe. bicycle As a regular means of transportation.

The sixth edition of the European Commission’s report on the quality of life in European cities published the results of a study carried out in 2023.

The exam quizzed more than 70,000 European citizens from 83 cities in the EU, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, the Western Balkans and Turkey on a wide range of aspects of daily life.

The report touches on a variety of topics, including housing, economic stability, health care, green space availability, and, of course, transportation.

What does this report reveal about cycling rates in Europe?

Of the 83 cities surveyed, only a few have a high proportion of people who use bicycles on a daily basis, and even fewer count bicycles as a relevant mode of transportation.

On average across all cities, only 14% of respondents use bicycles as a mode of transportation.

Interestingly, as cities grow, their use tends to decrease. In a region with a population of less than 250,000 people, about 16% of residents say they ride bikes on a typical day. In cities with populations of 1 million to 5 million, this number drops to 14 percent.

Only three European cities reported that more than 35% of their residents use bicycles on a daily basis.

Groningen and Amsterdam Netherlands and Copenhagen, Denmark – and all three have fairly small populations.

Bicycle usage is relatively high in these areas, which has a negative impact on public transport. In the survey, people recorded lower levels of satisfaction with the system compared to other cities.

Rounding out the top 10 list of the most prolific cyclists are exclusively Nordic countries (Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Austria, cities in Germany).

Meanwhile, countries in Southern and Eastern Europe have the lowest number of daily cyclists. In Rome, only 5 percent of the population is recorded as riding a bicycle every day, while in Belgrade and Vilnius, only 6 percent of those surveyed said the same.

Why do bicycle ridership rates vary across Europe?

The study revealed that many and different factors play a role in people’s level of biking or not.

Men were slightly more likely to say yes. cycle every day Also, on average, 16 percent of people in the 15-24 age group were most likely to use a bicycle, while only 13 percent of residents aged 55 and older regularly cycled. did.

Digging deeper into socio-demographic characteristics, the proportion of cyclists is higher among highly educated individuals and single people, but significantly lower among retired and unemployed individuals.

Despite constant warnings about the dangers of climate change and its link to fossil fuels, cars are still used daily by around 48 percent of city residents.

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However, the larger the city, the fewer people use cars. In most of the countries covered in the report, the capital city has the lowest overall car use.

Capital cities tend to have the best public transport services in the country, but congestion and high parking fees can deter people from driving. Other cities, such as London, have introduced fees for high-emission vehicles, which authorities hope will significantly reduce car use.

What can encourage more urban residents to use bicycles?

Many people living in cities seem to be tied to cars and public transport, but some simply “don’t want to use their energy.” cycling level could potentially increase.

The European Cycling Federation (ECF) objected to the European Commission’s investigation.

ECF said the “thematic scope of the report is very broad” and released its own data that focused more on cycling itself.

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In it, they say, “We were able to establish a clear correlation between the coverage of major road networks with segregated infrastructure and the level of cycling in cities around the world.” [European Commission’s] report. ” In other words, cycling road help.

ECF is calling on heads of state to take forward the proposals for a European Cycling Declaration on cycling to significantly increase safe and consistent cycling infrastructure across the continent.