Biking in Vancouver ranks 46th on list of 122 bike-friendly cities worldwide

The city of Vancouver may have plans to build more bike infrastructure, but according to a new report on bike-friendly cities, Vancouver still only ranks 46th out of 122 cities ranked worldwide.

The Copenhagenize Index, released every two years by the Copenhagenize Design Company, ranks cities according to factors like infrastructure, facilities, safety, and the political climate around cycling.

Cycling advocates in Vancouver are not surprised at the city's below par results.

"There are so many European cities in particular that have been making investments in cycling for 30 or 40 years," said Erin O'Melinn, director of HUB, a cycling advocacy organization.

"And we've just started."​

Montreal ranked in top 20

Montreal is the only Canadian city to rank in the top 20 on the list. Copenhagenize Design Co. praised Montreal in the report for having strong ridership numbers, a good bike share system, and decent infrastructure.

Conversely, the report also said,"Vancouver is drumming up some hype without being able to convert it into ridership."

The Copenhagenize Design Company is an urban design firm that helps municipal governments make their cities more bike-friendly.

They published their first bike-friendly index four years ago, which featured 80 cities. Copenhagen holds the number one spot this year, followed by Amsterdam and Utrecht.

Read more:

• Cycling safety: Too often, bikes still ignored on Canadian roads
• More cyclists on streets of Vancouver, new city report shows
• Burrard Bridge repairs could include improved bike lanes and sidewalks