Cyclist Friendly City Breaks

For those looking to explore the sights and sounds of a new city on two wheels, the brand new Cycle Cities Report from the personal finance experts at money.co.uk aims to determine the cities around the world for an affordable, safe and comfortable ‘bikecation’ adventure.

After researching a cross-section of cycling-related elements across 40 global cities  – bicycle and e-bike rental costs, cycling laws, bike paths, pollution levels, elevation levels and average annual temperatures/rainfall levels – a ranking score was assigned to each location out of a possible 280.

The 10 cities emerging as the most friendly for bikes emerged as follows:

Source: money.co.uk

Alongside the average cost of hiring a bicycle and e-bike for 24 hours within each city, researchers also factored in other elements that would all contribute towards tourists enjoying a safe and enjoyable city cycling experience.

Cities with the most KM of bike paths per resident are Timisoara (89km), Geneva (86km) and Tallinn (km). Furthermore, the flattest terrains for a smooth and effortless bike ride can be found in the cities of The Hague, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv and Helsinki.

Of the locations analysed, Chiang Mai in Thailand and Haifa in Israel emerged as the two cities with the highest pollution levels, with both cities standing to benefit enormously from an increase of tourists and residents switching to bike travel where possible. At the other end of the scale, the Finnish capital of Helsinki – one of the most affordable cities to rent a bike in – was revealed as the city with the lowest pollution levels.

Taking the average temperatures for each city throughout the year, the top 10 cities to visit per season were also determined based on the locations that would provide the most comfortable temperature to ride in.

The Slovenian capital of Llublijana emerged as having the most comfortable average climate during the Autumn and Spring months, while Limassol in Cyprus creates the ideal Winter climate for cycling tourists. Finally, bikers looking to avoid overheating are advised to head to Vilnius in Lithuania during the Summer months, where temperatures average a comfortable 17.7°C.

Of the destinations researched for the report, the 10 cities that emerged as the least accommodating for cyclists based on all the criteria analysed were:

Source: money.co.uk

Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, offers some guidance for any travellers wanting to sight-see from the perspective of two wheels:

“Whether you’re an experienced cyclist who feels more at comfortable on two wheels than by any other means of transportation, or you struggle to remember the last time you sat on a bike, it’s worth researching how to ensure your cycling plans are as affordable, safe and straightforward as possible ahead of your trip:

“Firstly, if a bike rental is a definite part of your itinerary, make sure you purchase the correct type of travel insurance. Some insurance companies may classify cycling as a dangerous activity, so it’s worth checking if your policy covers any injuries that may occur so you’re not left out of pocket.

“Next, bear in mind that cycling under the influence of alcohol in certain countries can result in a financial fine. The most commonly agreed limit amongst cities researched for the report is that cyclists cannot have a blood alcohol limit greater than 0.5 grams per litre.

“Despite the fact that some, less experienced, cyclists might feel more comfortable staying clear of the road and riding along pavements, many cities also consider this disruption to foot traffic a finable offence.

“Finally, make sure that once you’re on your bike, that you don’t check your mobile phone or any other handheld device unless in a stationary position. Many countries class texting while cycling to be as dangerous as doing so behind the wheel of a car. Officials in Singapore are known to hand out three month jail sentences for rule-breaking bike riders in some extreme cases.”

Methodology:

Taking a seed list of 40 locations from the money.co.uk campaign – The Healthiest places to live – we researched a selection of different topics in order to determine the most affordable, safe and practical cities to rent a bike around the world.

The consumer spending experts developed the ranking based on the following criteria:

1. Cost of hiring a bicycle  – Using manual research (all linked in the raw data) we looked to find the average cost of renting a standard city bike or equivalent in each location for a week in GBP (£). The 24 hour cost has also been worked out by dividing the cost by seven. *please note: the city of Haifa has been omitted from this section due to the lack of bike rental options available

2. Number of road traffic accidents – Taking country populations from https://data.worldbank.org/ and the most up to date data on the number of road traffic fatalities per year in each country of the world from the World Health Organization https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565684, we determined the cities deemed the safest for those taking to the roads on a bicycle. *please note, data for road traffic accidents and fatalities within the specific cities researched was unavailable.

 **please note WHO data released in 2018, with sources included within spanning several years from 2016 onwards

3. City population VS. Number of bike paths – Taking the population of each of the 40 cities from teleport.org, we researched the length of bike paths in each city (in KM) using www.bikemap.net, as well as other manual research (listed below) in order to determine how many KM of bike paths there are per city resident

https://budgetbicyclectr.com/Bicycle-Road-Mountain-Bike-Rentals-Madison

https://www.lvi.lu/velomap/velomap.pdf

https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/maps-and-transport/cycling/cycling/

https://www.ontariobybike.ca/great-places-to-cycle/ottawa-and-countryside/ottawa

https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/explore/things-to-do/active-holidays/article/cycling-around-ljubljana/

https://www.denhaag.nl/en/in-the-city/getting-there-and-around/cycling/cycling-in-the-hague.htm

https://www.wien.info/en/lifestyle-scene/sports/cycling/citybike-343294

Getting Around Cluj Napoca

4. The elevation of each city – Using data on the elevation in feet from each city from https://elevation.maplogs.com/, we determined which of the cities has the lowest to highest, and which of the cities would therefore we tougher to ride on a bike

5. City pollution data – Using the most recent pollution index rankings on Numbeo – https://www.numbeo.com/pollution/rankings.jsp – we have determined which of the cities are currently suffering the least with pollution, as well as those with the most that could benefit from an increase in bike usage amongst residents and tourists

6. Average city climates – Using data from climate-data.org, we researched the average annual temperature (in celsius) of each city across each season, in order to determine the 10 cities with the most comfortable temperatures for different periods of the year. We also found the average annual rainfall (in mm) of each city during the summer/ spring and autumn/ winter months, in order to determine which cities are likely to be the most pleasant to ride a bike in during different times of the year

7. Cycling laws in each city – Using manual research (all linked in the raw data), we looked into the different laws and regulations that cyclists are required to adhere to within each of the city, including whether a bike requires lights, reflectors, brakes (front and rear), whether cyclists are allowed on the pavement, if cyclists need to wear helmets and hi-viz jackets, if they can use a mobile phone whilst cycling, and if they are required to stop at traffic lights

8. Number of cycling repair shops- Using city population data from teleport.org and Google search, we collated up how many cycle repair shops there are in each city, in order to determine how many cycle repair shops there are per 10,000 people

9. E-bike rental costs – Using manual research (all linked in the raw data), we looked into the cost (£) of hiring or renting a standard e-bike for a 24 hour period in each city (excluding returnable deposits) *please note – the cities of Haifa, Timisoara, Bursa, Muscat and Izmir were all omitted from this section due to the lack of e-bike rental options available

10. Overall best cities table – Taking results from seven of the data sets collected from the wider research, we assigned each city a score out of 40 for each element (40 being the most bike-friendly, and 0 being the least) and each city was subsequently given an overall score out of 280