Paris races to top of European rankings of cycling-friendly cities for children

Paris was erstwhile notorious for speeding postulation and a parking method involving gently nudging cars to compression into a spot – but present it has topped a European ranking of cycling-friendly cities for children, leaving Amsterdam successful 2nd spot and Copenhagen successful the dust.

Analysing 36 European cities successful presumption of their cycling infrastructure’s suitability for children, the study recovered that the French superior had raced to the apical acknowledgment to investments for the 2024 Olympics and a €250m (£210m) inaugural to build 112 miles (180km) of cycling lanes nether Socialist politician Anne Hidalgo.

Using information connected segregated cycling lanes, debased roadworthy speeds of 30km/h (18mph) and “school streets” connected which postulation is limited, the non-profit Clean Cities Campaign (CCC) enactment the Belgium metropolis of Antwerp successful 3rd place, earlier Brussels, Lyon, Helsinki, Barcelona, Bristol, Oslo and Ghent.

“Among the starring cities, immoderate – specified arsenic Amsterdam and Copenhagen – are wide recognised arsenic longstanding pioneers successful progressive municipality mobility, having started the re-design of transport infrastructure decades ago,” the study said. “Others – similar Paris, Brussels and London – person achieved singular advancement successful conscionable the past 10 years. This demonstrates that meaningful alteration is imaginable wrong a comparatively abbreviated play of time.”

Child cycling mobility successful cities is simply a cardinal measure, the study says, due to the fact that 70% of the EU colonisation lives successful municipality areas, 14% of residents are nether 14 and children are susceptible roadworthy users. But Barbara Stoll, elder manager of the CCC, said it was nether pressure. “Children are little escaped to get astir municipality and little progressive than they erstwhile were, particularly girls,” she said.

Eight cities, chiefly successful southern, cardinal and eastbound Europe, were deemed by the study to beryllium “under-performers,” including Marseille, France’s 2nd city, Rome, Florence, Krakow, Budapest and, successful past place, Sofia successful Bulgaria. Across the continent, nary city, Paris included, had done capable to warrant an “A” people from the report’s authors.

Clément Drognat Landre, co-ordinator of the CCC successful France, said that portion debased emanation zones polarised opinion, astir radical supported safer motorcycle abstraction for children.

“One of the immense advantages is the simplification of pollution, which is simply a large wellness risk,” helium said, adding that the instauration of schoolhouse streets had precocious levels of nationalist support. “So far, it’s been a one-way journey.”

In Amsterdam, traditionally seen arsenic a haven of two-wheels travel, determination are concerns astir the rightwing authorities increasing motorway speeds and a declining contented of kid cycling. “There’s a large quality betwixt the cities and the nationalist level,” said Maud de Vries, co-founder of cycling advocacy organisation BYCS. “Amsterdam is focusing connected making definite radical truly consciousness a portion of nationalist space. But nationally, things request to velocity up.”

Belgium – peculiarly the Flanders portion – has invested earnestly successful cycling infrastructure, according to Wies Callens, argumentation serviceman for its Fietsersbond cycling association. “The adage is ‘build it and they volition come’,” helium said. “Ghent’s circulation program has meant a large betterment for cyclists, particularly children and young adults cycling to schoolhouse due to the fact that there’s little car traffic.”

Employer wage sacrifice motorcycle schemes are often utilized for “bakfiets” (cargo bikes) oregon longtail bikes with a backmost spot to transportation children – though the past Brussels government’s cycling argumentation had its critics. “There was a immense protestation from the rightwing against what they telephone successful Flemish bakfietsbobo yuppies,” said Callens.

Helsinki precocious reduced speeds to 30km/h connected astir each section streets successful residential areas – which has surely “reduced the fig of crashes,” says Roni Utriainen, a postulation technologist successful the city.