The list provided at the end of this post summarizes the 2012 results of Germany’s ADAC’s (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) analysis of bike sharing/rental programs in Europe. While Amsterdam and Copenhagen are generally regarded as two of the premiere cycling cities on the continent, Lyon, France (a.k.a. Grand Lyon) took first place in the category of bike sharing programs. The city received the only “very well” ranking among those cities studied. According to the Velo’v website, there are currently 340 bike sharing stations in Grand Lyon (see map below).

Amsterdam’s program (along with others in the Netherlands) were not well rated, but that may have been partially due to Holland’s varied organization structure for bike sharing compare to other European cities. Its system is managed through the rail system and the study was done by an automobile club.

One other tangential point is the fact that the German auto club invested time and effort in this study and supports bike sharing and usage in Europe. Meanwhile, our AAA (American Automobile Club) fought tooth and nail through much of 2011 to have the meager 1,5 percent of the federal transportation budget that is directed towards non-motorized transportation, transferred to highway funding. Apparently, the auto clubs in Europe have a better vision of the future than their American equivalent who seems stuck in reverse.

Here are the 2012 rankings – congratulations to Lyon.

Very Well

Well

Antwerp, Belgium (Antwerp-cycle)

Biel, Switzerland (velo blogspot)

Brussels, Belgium (Villo!)

Berlin, Germany (Call a Bike)

Cologne, Germany (Call a Bike)

Dublin, Ireland (Dublin Bikes)

Hamburg, Germany (StadtRAD)

Lausanne, Switzerland (velopass)

Leipzig, Germany (nextbike)

Ljubljana, Slovenia (Bicikell)

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (does it work)

Marseilles, France (le’ velo)

Milan, Italy (BikeMI)

Munich, Germany (Call a Bike)

Nuremburg, Germany (Noris Bike)

Paris, France (Velib)

Prague, Czech Republic (Home Port)

St. Potten, Austria (nextbike)

Seville, Spain (sevici)

Stuttgart, Germany (Call a Bike)

Turin, Italy (TO Bike)

Valencia, Spain (Valenbisi)

Vienna, Austria (City Bike)

Sufficient

Aarhus, Denmark (Aarhus Bycukel)

Barcelona, Spain (Bicing)

Copenhagen, Denmark (Bycyklen)

London, UK (Barclay’s Cycle Hire)

Lugano, Switzerland (velopass)

Oslo, Norway (Smart Bike)

Parma, Italy (Punto Bici)

Stockholm, Sweden (City Bikes)

Strasbourg, France (Velhop)

Wroclaw, Poland (WRM nextbike)

Zaragoza, Spain (Bizi)

Deficient

Aviero, Portugal (BUGA)

Bari, Italy (BARIinBICI)

Very Poor

Amsterdam, Netherlands (OV-fiets)

The Hague, Netherlands (OV-fiets)

Utrecht, Netherlands (OV-fiets)

Source: ADAC courtesy the European Cycling Federation