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Cities are getting more congested.
In the US, the average commuter spends 42 hours stuck in traffic every year, according to a report by the Texas Transportation Institute.
But US cities aren't even close to the most congested. Navigation company TomTom unsurprisingly ranked Los Angeles the most congested city in the US, which ranks 12th worldwide.
But more cities are starting to support biking to decrease congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Copenhagen now has more bikes than cars for the first time since 1970, which was the year authorities began collecting data on the two modes of transportation, according to the World Economic Forum. In the last year, 265,700 bikes made their way into the city compared to 252,600 cars.
Copenhagenize Design Company, an urban design consultancy company based in Copenhagen and Brussels, puts together a bi-annual index listing the most bike-friendly cities in the world. Copenhagenize evaluated 122 cities with a regional population topping 600,000 people. Scroll down for its 2015 ranking:
The city of Eindhoven has gone to great lengths to become more biking friendly. In 2012, Eindhoven completed a floating roundabout just for cyclists called the Hovenring, pictured above. The Hovenring is used by thousands of cyclists a week, according to a 2013 Gizmodo article.
Getty/Carsten Koall
The city of Strasbourg has over 300 miles of biking routes, according to the Copenhagenize Index. Strasbourg also has a bike-share system called Vélhop that allows for long-term rentals.
Michael Kooren/Reuters
Utrecht placed third in the 2013 Copenhagenize Index as well. The city is building the world's largest underground bike park — a $48 million project set to be completed in 2018, according to Dutch News. When completed, the facility will fit 12,500 bikes.
Reuters/Michael Kooren
You'll notice that the Netherlands has been sweeping this list. According to Fietsersbond, the Cyclists' Union of Amsterdam, there are 18 million bikes in the country. In the city of Amsterdam, the number of bikes exceed the number of people.
It should come as no surprise that Copenhagen ranks first, especially now that there are more bikes than cars. According to the 2015 Copenhagenize Index, the city continues to invest heavily in its bike infrastructure, especially in bike-only bridges.
Copenhagen is even trying to use bike travel times as the baseline for traffic lights.
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