The City of Hamilton’s bullish Cycling Master Plan (CMP) outlines a network of approximately 970km of bike lanes, cycle tracks, multi-use paths and other facilities such as paved shoulders and bike boulevards to be completed by 2031.

The city’s current cycling network boasts 793km, which includes 32.4km of separated cycling facilities. In 2022 an additional 14.4km of infrastructure was added, and plans for 2023 include 35km to be installed. An additional seven projects are planned for 2024, and the City is hoping to accelerate the completion of the total network by 25-50%.

Dating back to 1999, its ten-year action plan called Shifting Gears: A New Cycling Plan for Hamilton-Wentworth was reviewed in 2009 and again in 2018. The most recent review in January 2023 includes the consideration and integration of an All Ages and Abilities (AAA) design approach to develop a robust cycling network and minimum grid across the city.

The current city-wide cycling modal share is 1.3%, while in the inner urban area it’s 2.8%. Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan has a goal of 15% of city-wide trips being made by walking and cycling by 2031.

Over the past five years, approximately $19 million has been invested. The 2023 budget is $5.4 million, with an additional $12.2 million for on-street cycling projects from 2024 to 2031.

Launched in 2015, the Hamilton Bike Share system has 900 bikes at 144 hubs and is exploring opportunities to introduce e-bikes. The system is unique as it allows the flexibility for users to park their bike at any hub, or at any bike parking facility within the service area.

The City also provides funding to the non-profit Everyone Rides Initiative, which offers subsidized bike share passes, bike-riding training and multilingual services. Hamilton also operates an Adaptive Bike Share Hub.

Bisected by the Niagara Escarpment, Hamilton’s transit system operates the Mountain Climber Program, which allows cyclists to ride a bus up/down the mountain from designated stops at no cost.

In addition, the City has “opted-in” to Ontario’s Electric Cargo Bike Pilot program and Electric Kick Scooter Program (e-scooters) for personal and shared commercial use.

The Hamilton Vision Zero Action Plan 2019-2025 policy has a clear goal: no more fatalities or serious injuries on local roadways.

A number of national and regional trails pass through the city including the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, TransCanada Trail, HamBur Loop and the Greenbelt Route.

Hamilton hosted the Ontario Bike Summit in early May and is hosting the North American Bike and Scooter Share Association (NABSA) Annual Conference in September 2023.

Denver, the capital of Colorado, is rapidly becoming one of the USA’s most bicycle-friendly cities. Nicknamed “The Mile-High City,” it boasts a total of 455 miles of bikeways, including on-street and off-street facilities.

Over the past five years, the city has installed 159 miles of new high-comfort bicycle facilities, including protected bike lanes, surpassing its goal to build 125 miles of new bikeways by the end of 2023.

Currently, about 8% of residents commute by cycling or walking. Through the Denver Moves initiative, the city plans to achieve a 15% modal share of bicycling and walking for commuters by 2030.

To support the Denver Moves cycling agenda, the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) will speed up implementation of its bike program by coordinating the striping of bike lanes with street paving operations. DOTI will also update its recommended bikeways map.

Denver’s hugely popular e-bike rebate initiative is part of the city’s Climate Action Rebate program, offering $400 on e-bikes and up to $1,400 on e-cargo bikes. The program took off in April 2022 with over 6,500 residents benefitting to date. Almost half of the redemptions have been for e-cargo bikes.

The e-bike rebate program has displaced an estimated 4.1 million vehicle miles, eliminating 1,447 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually and has saved Denver residents $1 million in fuel and maintenance costs. In fact, the state of Colorado has followed Denver’s lead and launched a $12 million e-bike rebate program, the USA’s largest state-wide initiative of its kind.

Implemented in May of 2021, Denver’s Shared Micromobility Program works with Lyft and Lime to provide about 6,000 bikes and scooters, including almost 600 each of e-bikes and e-scooters, for residents, employees and visitors to get around Denver without a car.

Other initiatives have included the Elevate Denver Bond Program which allocates funding to design and construct nearly 50 miles of the bikeway network vision; Neighborhood Bikeways which are low-volume, low-speed streets designed to prioritize people who are biking, walking and rolling; and Community Transportation Networks to plan and build low- stress bike projects to connect the city.

In addition, the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (MBAC) advises on all matters relating to the use of bicycles as a means of transportation and recreation, including recommendations on the planning, design and development of bike projects.

Lyon Métropole has ambitious cycling goals and plans to become the economic capital of France for bicycles. With a budget of 500 million euros dedicated to active mobility, Lyon Métropole boasts a cycling network of 1,173km, an increase of 54km over last year, including 233km of protected bike lanes.

The city’s vast Cycling Plan, launched in 2020, hopes to triple the number of bicycle trips by 2026 and is centred around five areas: infrastructure, supporting change, services, safety and the economy.

Part of the initiative includes developing a network of wide and secure cycle paths, with les Voies Lyonnaises (the Lyon Roads) linking journeys between Lyon and its inner and outer suburbs. The “spider web” pattern network, spread out over 40 municipalities, will see 250km by 2026, including 100km of existing paths and a total of 350km by 2030.

Established in 2005, Lyon Métropole’s Vélo’v bike share offers 5,000 bicycles and saw a notable 16% increase in 2022 with 10.5 million rentals overall. In 2020, the system launched e-Vélo’v by converting about half of its inventory into hybrid electric bikes that simply need a battery. Currently, about 2% of subscribers use this option, and 500 e-Vélo’v bikes are available for long-term rental.

In 2022, Lyon adopted France’s ColisActiv’ program, which subsidizes packages delivered by bike to decarbonize urban delivery — a total of 635,000 parcels have been delivered by bike couriers.

To assist in bicycle use and to help combat theft, the number of bike racks has doubled since 2019 to 30,000 (60,000 spaces), with a goal of 60,000 racks by 2026. Secure bicycle parking is also available and will be increased from 1,500 to 15,000 spaces.

In 2019, the regional stakeholders in the bicycle sector created the Active and Sustainable Mobility Cluster (MAD). In 2022, MAD joined CARA, a European Cluster for mobility solutions, and formed the CARA Active Mobility branch which has 168 members, half of which are located in the Lyon Métropole urban area.

To support local bicycle factory initiatives, the Grand Plateau, financed by France Relance, is a third-party centre with a 5-year lease on an 8,000m2 building owned by Lyon Métropole and located in Villeurbanne.

Voted the first European “Smart Tourism” capital by the European Union in 2019, Lyon Métropole is fully committed to promoting cycling tourism, including e-bike tours. That year ONLYLYON Tourisme et Congrès began rolling out the Accueil Vélo (Cyclists Welcome) label, and the urban area boasts 46 establishments supporting the initiative.