October 15, 2026 - Utrecht is a true bicycle city that prioritizes the bicycle as a healthy, clean, affordable, and safe mode of transport.

Always ranked among the top three, the City of Utrecht claimed the top spot in the 2026 Copenhagenize Index, which is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and holistic ranking of bicycle-friendly cities in the world.

With an annual cycling budget of €63 per person, the city’s investments extend far beyond tracks and bicycle streets, integrating cycling into urban planning and development.

The city boasts 420km of bicycle paths and the world’s largest bicycle parking facility, located directly beneath Utrecht Central Station, with space for up to 12,500 bicycles. More than 100,000 on-street racks and guarded spaces ensure that parking meets demand.

As in many Dutch cities, cycling is the primary mode of transportation, with more than 33% of all journeys made by bike. A total of 90% of Utrecht residents own one or more bicycles (24% own an e-bike), and 56% of residents use bikes to get to the city centre.

Before starting secondary school, children in Utrecht and across the Netherlands take a traffic test that includes a six- kilometre bike ride along the city’s bicycle-friendly streets.

About 60% of the working population lives within 15km of their workplace, enabling them to commute by bicycle. Across the entire province of Utrecht (1.39 million people), the goal is for at least 50% of all trips up to 15km to be made by bicycle.

Utrecht offers several bike share options including OV-fiets (Public Transport Bikes) via the national train system with 2,500 units, along with other rental options such as Swapfiets, and Cargoroo for cargo bikes. Overall there are approximately 1,000 shared e-bikes.

Through the Fietsdeals program, low-income residents can buy refurbished bikes for just €30, which includes one year of free repairs.

Utrecht’s Dutch Cycling Week, held in late September alongside the International Cargo Bike Festival, promotes cycling as a mainstream mode of transport for individuals and businesses. This year, the city will host the EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference, an international conference held midway through Dutch Cycling Week.

Advocacy groups such as Fietsersbond Utrecht, along with the city’s Bicycle Mayor that’s part of an international network created by the Dutch social enterprise BYCS to promote community-led urban cycling, ensure that cyclists have a voice in every decision.

Utrecht’s Mobility Plan 2040 aims to identify where and how cyclists and pedestrians can have more room. The goal is “to become a world-class bicycle city,” including doubling bicycle use for commuting in the city’s core by 2030.