Ranking of the World’s Best Cycling Cities: Copenhagen, Amsterdam to Taipei

When we talk about whether a city is “cycling-friendly,” what we are really asking is: does this city treat bicycles as a core member of its transportation system, rather than a marginal accessory? From Northern Europe to Asia, the differences in cycling-friendliness among cities worldwide reflect not only gaps in infrastructure, but also fundamental differences in urban planning philosophy.

Evaluation Criteria

Global cycling city rankings (such as the Copenhagenize Index and various academic studies) typically consider the following aspects:

1. Infrastructure: Length, quality, and network connectivity of bike lanes
2. Safety: Cycling accident rates, degree of separation from automobiles
3. Usage rates: Cycling commute share, daily ridership numbers
4. Policy support: Government investment, legal protections, priority in urban planning
5. Cultural identity: Societal attitudes toward cycling, integration into daily life
6. Supporting facilities: Parking facilities, integration with public transit, bike-sharing systems

Tier 1: Cycling Paradises

Copenhagen (Denmark)

Copenhagen ranks at or near the top of nearly every cycling city ranking, and it is well-deserved.

Key Data:

• Cycling commute share: approximately 49% (city center area)
• Total bike lane length: over 450 km
• Daily bicycle trips: approximately 1.3 million
• Cycle Superhighways: over 45 km completed, with 850 km planned

Why It Succeeds:

Copenhagen’s success is no accident. After the oil crisis of the 1970s, the Danish government decided to vigorously promote cycling as an alternative mode of transport. Half a century of sustained investment has produced today’s results:

• Fully separated bike lanes: Physical barriers (elevation differences or solid guardrails) separate bike lanes from motor vehicle lanes and sidewalks
• Cycling-priority traffic signals: The bicycle “Green Wave” allows riders traveling at 20 km/h to get green lights all the way through
• Winter maintenance: Snow removal on bike lanes takes priority over car lanes
• Parking facilities: A multi-story bicycle parking garage next to the central station accommodates thousands of bikes

Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Key Data:

• Number of bicycles: approximately 880,000 (more than the city’s population)
• Cycling commute share: approximately 36%
• Total bike lane length: over 500 km

The Dutch Experience:

Dutch cycling culture is rooted in the nation’s DNA. The “Stop de Kindermoord” (Stop the Child Murder) movement of the 1970s—opposing traffic fatalities among children caused by cars—became the turning point for the Netherlands’ shift toward cycling-friendly policies.

Amsterdam’s distinctive features include:

• Bicycle parking everywhere: On streets, on bridges, underground—bike racks are everywhere
• Natural integration of cycling culture: Riding in everyday clothing is the norm; no special gear required
• Second-hand bicycle market: A unique bicycle economy ecosystem has formed

Tier 2: Rapidly Improving Cities

Paris (France)

Paris is the city with the most dramatic progress in recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 60 km of temporary bike lanes were rapidly built, and most were later made permanent. Mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to make Paris a “100% cyclable city” by 2026.

Other Cities Worth Watching

Bogotá is renowned for its over 550 km of bike lanes and its weekly Ciclovía street-closure events. Tokyo has a high cycling rate (approximately 14%), but its bike lane infrastructure remains insufficient.

Taipei’s Current Status and Room for Improvement

What It Does Well

Among Asian cities, Taipei’s cycling-friendliness is actually at an above-average level:

1. YouBike system: Taipei’s YouBike has been hailed by many international media outlets as one of the world’s most successful public bike-sharing systems. With dense docking stations, low fees, and good maintenance, its usage rate is extremely high

2. Riverside bike paths: The Greater Taipei area’s riverside bike path system exceeds 100 km in total length, providing a high-quality recreational riding environment. Paths along the Keelung River, Xindian Creek, Dahan Creek, and others connect into a complete network

3. Bikes on the MRT: Taipei Metro allows bicycles on board during off-peak hours (bikes must be in carrying bags)—a relatively friendly policy compared to other Asian cities

4. Growing cycling culture: In recent years, Taipei’s cycling community has flourished. On weekends, riders can be seen everywhere along riverside paths and on suburban mountain roads

Areas for Improvement

Compared with benchmark European cities, Taipei still has room to grow: urban bike lanes are disconnected, there are safety concerns about sharing lanes with scooters, physical separation facilities are lacking, parking facilities are insufficient, and drivers’ awareness of yielding to cyclists needs improvement. The hot climate is also an objective challenge—but Copenhagen’s bitter cold is equally uncomfortable. The key is whether infrastructure is good enough to make people willing to overcome the weather.

Lessons and Trends

Directions Taipei can learn from include: building a coherent bike lane network, adopting physical separation facilities, expanding MRT bike-access hours, and cultivating a cycling-commute culture starting from education. In terms of global trends, electric-assist bicycles are lowering the barrier to riding, and cargo bikes are gradually replacing some automobile functions in Europe.

Conclusion

A city’s cycling-friendliness essentially reflects how that city views the place of “people” in urban space. The success of Copenhagen and Amsterdam tells us: when a city puts people rather than cars at the center, everything changes.

Taipei has an excellent YouBike system and beautiful riverside paths as its foundation. The next step is to elevate cycling from a “leisure activity” to a “daily transportation option.” This requires not just more bike lanes, but a fundamental shift in urban planning philosophy. The road ahead is long, but the direction is right.

Related Reading

• Cycling Commute Policies Around the World: A Policy Comparison of Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Taipei
• The Cycling Utopia of the Netherlands: How the World’s Most Bike-Friendly City Was Built
• Cycling Infrastructure in the Netherlands: The World’s Most Advanced Bike-Friendly Urban Planning
• Comparing Bike-Friendly Cities in Taiwan: Which City Is Best for Cycling Life