Městem na Kole, in collaboration with the Bike to Work challenge (Do práce na kole) and Plzeň na kole, presents the second edition of the CykloRank Czechia 2024, a ranking comparing cities based on their cycling infrastructure. All 127 Czech cities with over 10,000 inhabitants are ranked based on the amount of bike lanes, cycle paths, bike racks, and contraflow bike lanes.
The year-on-year comparison highlights how cycling infrastructure is evolving across different cities, what types of infrastructure are being built, which cities are adding the most bike paths, and which are making the biggest progress—or stagnating. The ranking also serves as a resource for municipalities and residents to objectively compare their results with other cities and identify areas for improvement.
The ranking algorithm, inspired by Estonian research, assigns the most points to the safest infrastructure—separated bike paths. Cities also earn points for dedicated and non-dedicated bike lanes, bike racks, contraflow lanes, and pedestrian zones where cycling is allowed. With a lower weight, the ranking also considers bus lanes where cycling is permitted and pictogram corridors. The data is sourced from OpenStreetMap, which serves as the base for the Cycling the City map and is regularly updated by its editorial team in Czechia.
The CykloRank is also used as part of the evaluation for the Bike-Friendly City title, awarded by the AutoMat association within the Bike to Work challenge.
The goal of the CykloRank is to provide an overview of the length and quality of cycling infrastructure in Czech cities using data from OpenStreetMap. Research shows that longer and higher-quality infrastructure supports the popularity of cycling, and the presence of bike paths improves safety. These factors play a key role in whether people choose cycling as a mode of transport. That’s why it’s essential to compare how Czech cities are performing in this area.
So, how did the CykloRank 2024 turn out? New infrastructure and map updates significantly shuffled the results compared to 2023: Uničov from the Olomouc region remains in first place. Karviná moved up to second place, replacing Hradec Králové. Břeclav secured third place, replacing Pardubice.
The top ten also includes Veselí nad Moravou, Hradec Králové, Nymburk, Poděbrady, Mladá Boleslav, Pardubice, and Jirkov.
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Among Czech cities with over 100,000 inhabitants (of which there are six), Olomouc ranked the highest, finishing in 13th place, the same as last year. It is followed by Plzeň (24th place), which dropped slightly compared to last year. Prague (35th) ranked 10 places lower than the previous year. Ostrava (37th) moved up one spot. Brno (82nd) and Liberec (83rd) traditionally ended up in the second half of the ranking.
When considering regional capitals, the highest-ranked were Hradec Králové (5th), Pardubice (10th), and České Budějovice (16th). Thanks to improvements in cycling infrastructure, Jihlava jumped from 35th to 26th place. Karlovy Vary ranked 54th, Zlín 77th, and Ústí nad Labem 101st.
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The CykloRank Czechia ranking adopts the core concept and script from an Estonian project but adapts them to Czech-specific conditions. Additional types of cycling infrastructure commonly used in Czech cities were incorporated. The final ranking considers the length of bike paths, lanes, and contraflow bike routes in relation to the total street network of each city. The script, along with the methodology, is available on GitHub.
More details on the ranking methodology were covered in the article from last year’s first edition: CykloRank Czechia 2023: top cities for cyclists
Although the ranking is based on objective data, it is important to note that some factors are not considered. For example, the ranking does not evaluate whether cycling infrastructure is continuous within a city, the quality of surfaces, or how intersections and connections to main roads are designed. Separated cycling infrastructure can sometimes lead to frequent stops and discomfort, whereas a well-designed bike lane may actually provide a smoother and more comfortable ride. However, these aspects are difficult to measure on a nationwide scale.
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The differences in results between 2023 and 2024 were influenced not only by new investments in cycling infrastructure but also by changes in the street networks of individual cities. In some areas, the share of cycling infrastructure within the overall street network decreased, which was due to the construction of new streets as well as a major update of map data. These updates refined the data in dozens of cities, especially in smaller ones where some cycling infrastructure was previously missing from maps.
Last year we pointed out that the ranking itself could also be seen as a call to participate in mapping cycling infrastructure—something that has clearly started to happen. This means that if a city dropped in the ranking, it does not necessarily indicate stagnation or a decline in cycling infrastructure.
For example, in Prague, nearly 100 kilometers of bike paths, lanes, and contraflow bike routes were added between 2023 and 2024, increasing the total length to 1,066 kilometers. However, Prague still dropped slightly in the ranking, mainly due to more precise mapping in other cities.
When interpreting the results, it is important to consider the differences in the street networks of individual cities. Zlín, with its narrow residential streets, has a longer street network compared to cities with densely built housing estates, such as Karviná. These differences can affect relative rankings, even though the actual cycling conditions may vary.
This year’s CykloRank results provide a more accurate picture of cycling infrastructure development across Czechia. Despite some challenges, the main goal remains to highlight areas for improvement and inspire more cities to develop their cycling networks.
And we’re not stopping here! Stay tuned for a more detailed analysis and international comparisons.
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