Paris has topped a European ranking of cycling-friendly cities for children, leaving Amsterdam in second place.
Analysing 36 European cities, the report published by the Clean Cities Campaign (CCC) found Paris has been transformed into a cycling city over the past decade with another 60km of new cycling lanes added in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The report cites Paris mayor Anna Hildago’s efforts to boost cycling in the city, alongside the introduction of a 30km/h speed limit in the French capital.
Compiling data on 'school streets', safe speeds and protected cycling infrastructure, CCC put Copenhagen in third place, followed by Brussels and Lyon.
Three British cities made CCC’s top 20, with Bristol ranked 8th, Greater London 14th and Manchester just making the cut in 19th.
“Among the leading cities, some – such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen – are widely recognised as long-standing pioneers in progressive urban mobility, having started the re-design of transport infrastructure decades ago,” the report reads. “Others – like Paris, Brussels and London – have achieved remarkable progress in just the past 10 years. This demonstrates that meaningful change is possible within a relatively short period of time.”
The report, published yesterday, says Greater London leads in school streets, scoring 27 per cent and beating Paris by two points.
CCC says London has created more than 500 school streets, where cycling and walking are prioritised, in less than 10 years.
The report outlines that child mobility is an important metric because over 70 per cent of the EU population lives in cities, where 14 per cent of residents are under 14, and children are particularly vulnerable road users.
CCC also highlights how air pollution is the leading environmental health risk for children in urban environments.
“The effects of air pollution on children’s health are well-documented. It has been linked to a range of health issues, including asthma, respiratory infections, allergies, and reduced lung function,” the report says.
It also says that ensuring children have opportunities for active mobility in their daily routines is “essential” with research highlighting that physical activity for children improves brain health, muscular fitness, and better heart and lung health.
Despite improvements in many cities, CCC says no cities reached the A grade of 80 per cent. Paris came just short with a score of 78.9 per cent.
CCC says the absence of city-wide roll-outs of school streets emerged as a shortcoming across the surveyed cities.
Eight cities, primarily in southern, central and eastern Europe, received grades of E or F. These include Marseille, France’s second biggest city, Rome and Budapest.
Sofia had the lowest score of 1 per cent.
