There's a thread about the best places to live car-free in the USA. Let's have a thread about the best places to live as car-free person who likes bikes, outside the USA. Please keep it to what you know first-hand, although links to someone else's first-hand account could be useful too.

I know that some people have mentioned Canadian cities, including Montreal.

I can vouch for the fact that Montreal is a good place to get around without a car, either on the metro (subway) system or on a bike. Outside of the heavily-used metro system, Montreal's buses can be used but they don't run as often as one would like.

Montreal's design allows a person to travel on the streets on a bike without a bike lane, without having to deal with very-fast car traffic. You don't have to be on the most heavily-used, high-speed streets to get from one place to another. Neighborhoods tend to be set up so that short-distance carless trips for groceries and other essentials are possible.

There's a thread about the best places to live car-free in the USA. Let's have a thread about the best places to live as car-free person who likes bikes, outside the USA. Please keep it to what you know first-hand, although links to someone else's first-hand account could be useful too.

I know that some people have mentioned Canadian cities, including Montreal.

I can vouch for the fact that Montreal is a good place to get around without a car, either on the metro (subway) system or on a bike. Outside of the heavily-used metro system, Montreal's buses can be used but they don't run as often as one would like.

Montreal's design allows a person to travel on the streets on a bike without a bike lane, without having to deal with very-fast car traffic. You don't have to be on the most heavily-used, high-speed streets to get from one place to another. Neighborhoods tend to be set up so that short-distance carless trips for groceries and other essentials are possible.

You forget though, Montreal streets might be good for bike/car sharing, the Montreal drivers more then make up for it. Once rode in a Montreal Taxi, I don't think he dropped below 80km/h in a raging blizzard, on some corners, I think he went around on two wheels..... This is typical of Montreal drivers.....

There is also Toronto (the big one in Ontario), parts of the city are really nice car free, and are bike friendly, other parts it's doable, just a little harder, I am currently car free, and in one of the areas where it's harder. The city is working on it though....

I would say Amsterdam and Bogota should be at the top of the list, though.....

I would like to hear from someone in or familiar with Amsterdam. From the webcam (http://www.eyelogue.com/donniecam.html)that was posted earlier it seems their drivers are much more courteous and in at least that area the car traffic is pretty light compared to bicycles and pedestrian.

Aaron:)

Melbourne, Australia is not so bad, and getting better. The suburbs, especially along main roads, have bike lanes, there are MUPs in almost of Melbourne's extensive suburban parkland (and most of the time, riding through the parks means a shortcut compared with sticking to the road). The central business district has bike lanes on main routes (beware peak-hours), but you take your life into your hands if you ride down the smaller streets with anything less than courier-level skills.

What we really lack is any sort of acknowledgement that people use their bikes to go about daily life. Secure parking facilities are limited to a dozen spaces at large shopping centres (if you're lucky) and maybe half a dozen at the local library.

The main danger I've encountered in my couple of months' riding is suburban roundabouts. Drivers tend to drive into them looking for cars, not bikes. Just this weekend I narrowly avoided being hit on two occasions because drivers took a quick glace, saw no cars and just rolled on through.

No problems with bikes on the trains (no extra charge) but you'd want a foldie in a bag to get on a bus or tram.

All-in-all,I'm enjoying riding in Melbourne. From the stories I've read in this forum, I can see there are far worse places to be car-free, and plenty of problems that other people deal with that I haven't encountered.

I would like to hear from someone in or familiar with Amsterdam. From the webcam (http://www.eyelogue.com/donniecam.html)that was posted earlier it seems their drivers are much more courteous and in at least that area the car traffic is pretty light compared to bicycles and pedestrian.

Aaron:)
Well I only stayed 5 or 6 days but never had to use a car or bus. I only took the train to/from the airport. I stayed a few blocks from that webcam but biked as far away as Muiden and Haarlem. The traffic got heavy around rush hour in some places. The drivers were shockingly polite to me even when I was in the wrong. But, I was on a rental bike from the train station. The bike had a white front basket with a bluish sign so everyone probably recognized me as a tourist from that if not from the way I rode. I intended to walk or use the train. What got me on the bikes was a train strike. When I asked if it was possible to bike to Haarlem the woman at the house said "There is no place in the Netherlands that you can't ride a bike to." Sure enough when I pedaled out of Centraal Station that morning there were signs on the bike paths "Rotterdam", "Maastricht", "Haarlem". The paths outside the city often followed the tops of dikes. In the city they had separate traffic lights for bikes. I left Haarlem at rush hour- more bikes than cars at some intersections. I spent some time riding aimlessly around the city and have to say that I recall some places where the car traffic made me uncomfortable and there were highways that I wouldn't bike on. I'd also enjoy reading posts from someone who has lived car free in Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

gwd,
I have pm's going with a couple of dutch guys over on two other forums I am on. One is Ratrodbikes the other is the Airstream forum. I am getting psyched at the chance to take a trip over there. We are aiming for about 3 weeks total, but will have to spend some time up in GB at my son's graduation from Leeds.

Aaron:)

Copenhagen is great for cycling. Many streets have bike lanes. The place is flat. Trains take you anywhere else you may want to go.

I lived in Mexico City for a few years, very easy to be car free with excellent subsidised public transportation, not at all a good place to ride a bike for transportation.

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Munich: Tons of bike lanes, wide streets, friendly motorists, plenty of bike parking.

Here are my photos from last month's trip (http://www.futuregringo.com/index.php/2007/05/18/biking-in-munich/).

I've been to Mexico City and was impressed with the subway system, but yes agree traffic is a chaotic mess not suitable for cyclists. When I was in the Yucatan (beaches and Merida), I saw many people using tricycle style bikes (two wheels and large baskets in front), getting around town. They were slow, (maybe because it was 100+ degrees), but ample storage.

Melbourne, Australia is not so bad, and getting better. The suburbs, especially along main roads, have bike lanes, there are MUPs in almost of Melbourne's extensive suburban parkland (and most of the time, riding through the parks means a shortcut compared with sticking to the road). The central business district has bike lanes on main routes (beware peak-hours), but you take your life into your hands if you ride down the smaller streets with anything less than courier-level skills.


Melbourne is good if you are in the inner suburbs or along a train line. However, it is a very "distributed" and spread out city; people tend to travel to work/school and to specialty shops. The public transport has really not kept up with the city's growth, and not everyone likes to cycle, so it isn't such a great car-free city in the suburbs.

I was recently in London, Germany (Stuttgart and Munich) and Hong Kong.

Hong kong - cars make no sense at all (highly urbanized, everything close together, no long trips possible unless you go to mainland China or travel internationally, excellent public transport.

London - cars make no sense for commuting (fantastic public transport, bikes very practical for transport, most things either close or on a train line) but useful for shopping trips or getting out of the city (although regional trains are good).

Germany - fantastic lifestyle no matter how you do it, at least in the areas I was in. Great bike infrastructure, great public transport, trains cheap for commuting (expensive for interstate, but excellent service including dedicated bike areas on all trains). The roads are also excellent, the cars generally new with a mix of subcompact Smart cars and mercs/audis/porches. My sister-in-law has been in Stuttgart for a year and hasn't felt any need to buy a car.

Other places I've lived:
San Fran bay area: BART is good and so is San Fran public transport but again the "distributed" thing is an issue once you're out of the city.

Athens: Great local shopping and facilities, but often lots of travel to work. If lucky enough to be near a metro station things are great - the Greek metro is one of the nicest subways in the world, although the coverage is still limited. Busses are reasonable. Little tolerance for cyclists. Increasing use of cars although motorbikes and scooters are still popular and more practical for most purposes.

In Tokyo, it's practically impossible to live with a car--no parking for starters. Though there're no obvious conscious efforts to encourage cycling per se (ie bike lanes etc), the incredibly huge and comprehensive train system and relatively short distances (10 km across the Yamanote train loop from Ginza to Shinjuku) makes it a good cycling city. Sometimes hairy traffic and sweaty muggy summers are the drawbacks...

In Tokyo, it's practically impossible to live with a car--no parking for starters. Though there're no obvious conscious efforts to encourage cycling per se (ie bike lanes etc), the incredibly huge and comprehensive train system and relatively short distances (10 km across the Yamanote train loop from Ginza to Shinjuku) makes it a good cycling city. Sometimes hairy traffic and sweaty muggy summers are the drawbacks...
Welcome to BikeForums!

Frankfurt, Germany is wonderful for bicyclists. Then again, so is probably any other city in Germany, Scandinavia, Benelux or France.

Buenos Aires, Argentina.


Very easy.

Overlapping options for public transportation.

I'm in Toronto as well as many people on this forum are. Its a really easy place to live in car-free, but strangely enough its a place where people that drive are pretty obsessed with their cars. I think this vocal group prevents more (like transit priority on King Street which should be a no-brainer!) interesting car-free possibilities from happening.

Outside of San Jose, we tend to have more bikes than cars in Costa Rica - out where we are horses run a close second.

I'm in Toronto as well as many people on this forum are. Its a really easy place to live in car-free, but strangely enough its a place where people that drive are pretty obsessed with their cars. I think this vocal group prevents more (like transit priority on King Street which should be a no-brainer!) interesting car-free possibilities from happening.
Every time I watch a video on Youtube of someone cycling in Toronto, I always have to hold onto something. It seems as if drivers try to hit cyclists.
Seems quite crazy there.
However, the way the city is layed out, it has the potential to be a great city to bike in.

Welcome to BikeForums!

Thanks! Long time lurker, etc etc

for us north-americans who mostly grew up in a car rich environment, I suppose virtually ANY northern&western european city is a great place to travel sans-car. Been living in europe for ages and have gotten so used to not neednig a car AT ALL and comfortably riding through all the placeds I've lived in comparison to the US that I only noticed the difference after visiting folks back in NYC & PA last month. It's a LOT more, umm, comfortable (for want of a better word) going car-less over here. There are a number of cities where bikes rule supreme (Muenster and Freiburg in Germany), some inner cities ban cars, and the Netherlands have virtual cycling highways!

I also think Melbourne is quite a good place for going without a car, as a previous poster said there is definitely room for improvement regarding the public transport, but it's not that terrible either, in my opinion.

Many parts of Melbourne are relatively flat, and it doesn't get very cold here either. It can be a bit too hot in summer for my liking, but at least it's not humid.

Seville, Spain.

Advantages:

1. Flat, compact town. I can get just about anywhere by bike in 15 minutes, maximum.

2. 120-km. bike path network being built (now about 3/4 finished).

3. A low-cost bike rental service is operating.

4. Progressive, Socialist mayor supports cycling and public transport and can often be seen riding his own bike.

5. Fairly good city bus system. Old, smoke-belching diesels being replaced by buses powered by natural gas, and "bio diesel" and by electric mini buses. (The old buses are being given to the city of Havana, Cuba.)

6. A new tramway is about to begin operating. More are promised.

7. Good train service to some outlying towns and villages, and a new railway is planned. Bikes are allowed on board at no extra charge. AVE (bullet train) service to Madrid.

8. Many streets in the city center are now off limits to automobiles.

9. Mild, pleasant weather most of the year.

Disadvantages:

1. There are quite a few citizens who walk and park their cars on the bike paths.

2. Bikes are not allowed on city buses.

3. Regressive, right-wing politicians and the local newspapers oppose the mayor's pro-cycling policies and are doing all they can to create discord and pit cyclists against pedestrians and cagers.

4. Extremely high temperatures in July and August.