Munich
Munich has gone through an impressive infrastructure transformation. In a city famed for cars, Munich stands out as the largest and most populous German city in the TOP30. Since the pandemic, significant investments have brought security to cyclists with new wide, grade-separated, and green bicycle tracks in the dense city center.
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Like many German cities, bicyclists of Munich have long relied on erratic, unprotected facilities: narrow, painted lanes, often shared or unprotected from pedestrians, providing limited safety to all road users. Since the pandemic, the Bavarian capital has committed €25 million per year to a new standard: 3 meter-wide, newly-paved, protected bicycle tracks. Today, the “Inner-City Ring” is equipped with corridors that are grade-separated from both pedestrians and motorists and often buffered with trees and greenery. Crucially, gained space comes from car lanes and parking rather than footways, improving comfort for people walking as well as riding. Beyond the city-center, a bicycle highway network (Radschnellverbindungen) is underway. Over a third of the streets now have protected cycle tracks, and a large majority limit speeds to 30 km/h for motorists, and have transformed downtown Munich into a calm streetscape. As safety improves for cyclists and pedestrians, continuity is crucial beyond the inner-ring and at complex intersections to guarantee city-wide safety and bikeability.
Munich is pairing infrastructure with visibility. Dedicated bicycle signals now guide riders through street crossings, the intersections are highlighted in red paint, and the new re-developed cycle tracks have adopted a unique distinctive green asphalt—an in-pavement treatment rather than slippery, short-lived paint. With this, bicycle usage has been edging upward: cycling’s modal share grew from about 18% in 2019 to 21% in 2023. In parallel, the city faces a significant service shortfall: the decade-old bikeshare provider, “MVG Rad” ended its contract and service halted in September 2025. In a heavily tourist city, a reliable, integrated bikeshare is more than a convenience, and a successful new launch is vital for the imminent modal shift towards bicycles.
“ Munich positions cycling as a mainstream transport mode and embeds it in its long-term urban-mobility strategy. ”
Munich has achieved a commendable feat. Now, the city must ensure that its network development and new bicycle infrastructure will expand out of the inner city circle ring to form a truly holistic bicycle network. If Munich can combine this with a robust new bike share system, and maintain high investment, Munich will undoubtedly experience a significant rise in bicycle ridership.
