Bristol is the UK's most bike-friendly big city, while London is one of the least hospitable to cyclists, according to a survey.The study by Cycling Plus magazine took the country's 20 biggest cities and towns by population – thus excluding traditional bike centres such as Cambridge and York – and ranked them using a series of factors including cycle commuter numbers, levels of bike theft, the number of traffic-free bike lanes, casualties, pollution and even rainfall.Bristol edged out Nottingham and Leicester, while London was rated 17th, above only Glasgow, Birmingham and bottom-placed Bradford.
The accolade for Bristol comes two years after it was named the country's first "cycling city" by the Department for Transport, giving it access to around £20m in extra funding for bike-related schemes. The city is also the birthplace of Sustrans, the green cycle route charity which began 30 years ago when volunteers converted an old rail line between Bristol and Bath into a dedicated bike route.
Bristol tops list of bike-friendly cities | Life and style | The Guardian
