BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — PeopleForBikes has released its 2026 International City Ratings, which evaluate 403 cities in 38 countries. The ratings highlight communities with safe, connected bike networks.
The Netherlands dominated the ratings, with Utrecht and Amsterdam tying for the highest rating among large cities. Each scored 88 out of 100. Dutch cities Almere and Delft also earned scores of 88, leading the medium-city category. Canmore, Canada, topped the small-city rankings with 87.
This year's ratings expanded and include 42 new cities, including communities in 12 countries evaluated for the first time: Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania, Malaysia, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, and Vietnam.
Each city receives a score on a scale of 0-100. A low score (0-20) indicates a weak network, meaning the city lacks safe bikeways or has gaps in the network. A high score (80-100) indicates that most common destinations are accessible by safe routes that serve people of all ages and abilities.
Combined with the 3,019 U.S. communities evaluated earlier, the city ratings cover 3,422 communities worldwide, providing local leaders and advocates with insights to identify gaps in their bicycle networks and prioritize improvements.
In June, PeopleForBikes released its U.S. City Ratings, and the highest-rated communities were Mackinac Island, Michigan; Old Orchard, Pennsylvania; and Crested Butte, Colorado, each scoring 100 among small cities; Hoboken, New Jersey, scoring 83 among medium cities; and Brooklyn, New York, scoring 70 among large cities.
