New Bike Lanes Are Coming to These 10 Global Cities
Winners of the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure span five continents, representing 15 million people.
A child in Fortaleza, Brazil, rides his bike in a protected area of the street.
Courtesy of the Global Designing Cities Initiative
Like in many cities, the lack of safe and accessible bike lanes has been a major barrier to cycling in Brazil’s fifth largest city of Fortaleza, which has a population of 2.6 million. But over the last decade the city has made significant strides in becoming a bike-friendly metropolis by putting cycling infrastructure and road safety at the top of its priorities. Between 2013 and 2022, yearly traffic deaths fell by more than 50%.
Now, as part of the city’s goal to encourage more residents to cycle daily, Fortaleza will develop 180 kilometers (112 miles) of new protected bike lanes and make 100 intersections safer. It also plans to better connect bike lanes throughout the inner city as part of an effort to encourage children, women and less-skilled riders to travel by bike.