Vienna
Vienna has been confirming its status among Europe’s cycling leaders. Since 2019, the city has invested in a safer, more efficient cycling network, and the results are clear: bicycle modal share has climbed from 7% in 2019, to 11% today. Wider tracks and bicycle streets are turning everyday trips into effortless rides.
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Through the Radoffensive launched in 2020, Vienna has moved from incremental tweaks to large-scale development, excelling both in infrastructure quality and quantity: 44 km of new or in-progress bicycle paths in the past five years, combining wider, higher-standard cycle paths, bicycle streets, and generous greening and streetscape design upgrades. Safety is tangibly improving, reflected in a declining cyclist fatality rate, and the city plans to continue this progress by banning e-mopeds from bicycle paths and pedestrian areas in 2026. Argentinierstraße captures this shift in infrastructure. As home to one of Vienna’s first bicycle lanes, it was rebuilt in 2024 as the city’s first Dutch-inspired bicycle street linking the center to the central train station. With 6,000 daily riders, the old 2 meter bidirectional track had become uncomfortable and unsafe. After contemplating a wider bidirectional track versus a bicycle-street, residents – involved in the project’s process from the very beginning – backed the “greening, cooling, less asphalt” bicycle street with 85.5% support, bringing calmer traffic, wider sidewalks, trees, and benches.
Vienna’s policies are deliberately family-centered. The city supports everyday cycling with cargo-bike purchase subsidies, try-before-you-buy options, free cargo-bike rentals (Grätzlrad), bicycle training and mobility education in schools, school streets and bicycle parks. A “Traveling with children in Vienna” brochure is even included in the diaper bag for expectant parents. Positive communication is a pillar: a dedicated website offers practical guidance and inspiration; the ARGUS Bicycle Festival (the 2025 edition drawing around 100,000 visitors) broadens the reach to all types of cycling; and the “Damit sich’s leichter Radelt” campaign keeps residents informed as Vienna keeps on building roughly 20 km of bicycle lanes each year. Together, these user-focused programs have turned infrastructure into a habit, making cycling an easy and visible part of daily life, while residents are kept informed and involved.
“ Vienna’s steady push for wider tracks, bicycle streets, and family-centered programs have kept daily cycling on the rise for all users. ”
Continue prioritizing attractive infrastructure: generous widths will encourage an uptake in cycling for kids, families, and cargo bikes; street calming and qualitative design for public spaces; as well as safer intersections with clear priority and shorter crossings. Building on the family-friendly programs, the city can support its seniors with tailored help through confidence-building courses, and clear, dedicated communication to ensure cycling feels accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
