Leading e-bike cities

The Rise of E-bikes During COVID
At the moment, cities around the world are evaluating what role public transportation systems play in the era of COVID-19. Public transportation accounts for the commute of millions of passengers every year, and during the rise and fall of coronavirus, many have changed their chosen form of transportation. Many cities have seen a rise in bike culture throughout the last two years. Bikes by themselves are fast, comfortable and convenient. When you consider e-bikes, this is even more true with longer commutes becoming easier and relaxing. Not only that, but bikes are clearly the best option for being environmentally conscious. The extent to which these different cities embrace cycling culture and the rise of e-bikes in their city planning varies quite a bit.

So, what cities around the world have become more friendly toward e-bike culture in their urban planning and policies, and plan to continue doing so in the future?

Minneapolis, United States
In the United States, Minneapolis has repeatedly been ranked as one of the best biking cities in its country and in the world. The City of Minneapolis lists some facts regarding their approach that includes that Minneapolis has 16 miles of protected bike lanes on streets, as well as 98 miles of bike lanes and 101 miles of off-street bikeways and trails. Due to this fact, Minneapolis is rated as one of the top cities in the U.S. with a very high rate of bicycle commuters.

Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg in France boasts 600km of bike paths, but the reason it is considered as a great city for bikers is due to its rules regarding traffic. Its bike lanes form a loop that spans the city and links many of the city’s cultural points of interest, while also crossing the border into Germany. Not only is Strasbourg the seat of European parliament, but much of its historic center are car-free zones, making e-bikes the preferred mode of transportation for commuters.

Copenhagen, Denmark
Back home in PentaLock’s own country, Copenhagen is considered as a capital city designed for cyclists. Copenhagen features a network of bike lanes that extends to more than 390 kilometers. This network includes many bridges and points of interest throughout the area, with a daily commute rate of almost 40,000 cyclists every day.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Arguably Denmark’s big brother in cycling culture, the Netherlands’ own capital city of Amsterdam is a monolith of cyclists. With even more bike lanes than Copenhagen, Amsterdam has more than 400 kilometers of bike lanes that spans the city itself and several cultural points of interest. Not only that, but Amsterdam’s flat topography allows for a much more relaxing ride for cyclists. It is estimated that around 68% of traffic to and from work or school is by bicycle, placing Amsterdam as one of the best cities for e-bikes.