Lyon
Making its debut in the Copenhagenize Index near the top of the ranking, Lyon is setting a clear example of how translating ambition into tangible actions can have significant impacts. By careful planning, bold investment, and a recent rollout of bicycle infrastructure, the city is proving that an integrated and comprehensive approach can deliver quality urban spaces.
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Lyon’s cycling transformation has been over a decade in the making. After adopting its first strategic plan in 2009, and then updating it in 2016, the more-recent 2024-2030 bicycle plan marks a clear acceleration in efforts to achieve its goals. Backed by greater resources, higher-quality bicycle infrastructure design standards, and the adoption of a “Vision Zero” policy, the city’s objectives are steadily getting closer to becoming reality. Nearly three-quarters of its streets now have speed limits of 30 km/h or less, and new infrastructure has the potential to set a new national standard by putting safety, comfort, and inclusivity first.
At the heart of this progress is the current development of the Voies Lyonnaises, a branded central network embodying connectivity and quality, with an effective wayfinding system helping users to navigate around town with ease. Recent milestones have included, for instance, redesigning Boulevard Vivier-Merle, now boasting a protected bicycle infrastructure throughout a tunnel, as well as a new route along the Saône river, and upgraded bicycle paths on Pont Lafayette. These projects exemplify how the city is turning technical excellence into tangible improvements enhancing the network and making cycling more appealing to all potential bicycle users.
Equally ambitious is the city’s investment in bicycle parking spaces and services. In 2025, the city inaugurated a new flagship project: France’s largest access-controlled parking garage, which, offering 1,500 spaces at Lyon Part-Dieu train station, underscores Lyon’s commitment to seamless intermodality. Alongside, the Vélo’v bike-sharing system, launched twenty years ago, remains a core support element for bicycle mobility. The service has continued to evolve with new e-bikes and long-term rental options catering to different types of users. More importantly, it now provides financially accessible membership plans to confirm the service remains within everyone’s reach. The aim is to create accessibility and socially inclusive alternatives to private cars, reaffirming its conviction that cycling can be a true mobility option for all.
“ With sections of its network now carrying over 10,000 trips daily, Lyon is already showing that its bold vision to triple cycling in seven years is well underway. ”
As Lyon’s bicycle network keeps expanding at a steady pace, often through the default use of bidirectional bicycle tracks, the number of cyclists is currently growing rapidly. In order to sustain its momentum and safety goals, the city must evolve from a flow-based mindset into a truly spatial one, embracing the full transformative power of the bicycle as a tool to reimagine its public space.
