Utrecht named the most bike-friendly city in the world
Utrecht is the most bicycle-friendly city in the world, according to the Copenhagenize Index. The jury praised Utrecht as the “heart of Dutch cycling excellence,” calling it a “city built on flow, precision, and purpose with cycling at its core.”
The jury was particularly impressed by changes to Nachtegaalstraat, Amsterdamsestraatweg, and Westelijke Stadsboulevard. Utrecht converted Nachtegaalstraat into a bicycle street, narrowing the car lanes to accommodate cyclists.
On Amsterdamsestraatweg, the city took away car parking spaces to make way for wider bike paths, lowered the speed limit, and installed speed bumps. And Westelijke Stadsboulevard changed from a four-lane road to a green boulevard with safe pedestrian crossings and lower speed limits for cars.
The jury also praised Utrecht’s Fietsdeals program, which allows low-income residents to buy a refurbished bike for only €30, including a year of free repairs, and the city’s plans to build a fully car-free district.
In the past two years, Utrecht was in second and third place in the ranking, behind Copenhagen. This year, Copenhagen took second place, followed by Ghent, Amsterdam, and Paris.
