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Montreal has been named the best major city for cycling in North America

Rankings analyze accessibility, community and quality of riding in each urban centre

PeopleForBikes has released its annual list of the best cities for cycling and Montreal is number one in the major cities category. Since 1999, PeopleForBikes has been set on creating an important place for bikes as both a means for transportation, recreation and mobility. Their goal is that bikes are positioned as a solution to improve North Americans’ health, connect communities, and improve the environment. Montreal was eighth overall, but first in major cities. La belle ville scored 65, ahead of Brooklyn at 63 and San Francisco at 61.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced the news on Twitter.

“Montreal has been named the first major cycling city in North America in the annual ranking of People For Bikes,” she posted. “A city that makes room for cycling is a city where life is good!

According to the organization, the rankings work on a variety of factors. City Ratings scores result from combining a city’s Bicycle Network Analysis Score and Community Survey Score, the organization states on their site. The Bicycle Network Analysis Score, which is worth 80 per cent of the City Ratings score, measures the quality of a city’s bicycle network.

The Community Survey Score, which is worth 20 per cent of the City Ratings score, measures how people feel about biking in their city. The survey included 1,105 cities in North America.

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Like many cities in North America during the COVID-19 pandemic, Montreal has been expanding its cycling infrastructure with more bike paths and trails. In May, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced it would earmark $17 million to create more cycling paths as well as upgrade existing ones.