Montreal Was Named One Of The Best Cycling Cities In The World Thanks In Part To Mayor Plante

Whether you have your own bike or you're a loyal BIXI customer, we can all agree there's nothing like riding a bicycle in Montreal on a hot summer day. Now, our bicycle-friendliness is getting more international recognition. CNN Travel has included Montreal in its list of "10 of the best cities in the world to see while riding a bicycle."

Montreal was the only Canadian metropolis to make the list.

"This bilingual city, set on an island in the St. Lawrence River, has embraced bicycles in a big way," CNN's Forrest Brown wrote.

The writer praised our city for its decades-old commitment to green mobility and for the gradual expansion of the Réseau Express Vélo (REV), the network of protected bike lanes along major thoroughfares — a signature accomplishment of the administration of Mayor Valérie Plante.

He also noted the cycling network connections to the city's biggest parks, such as Parc Jean-Drapeau and Parc Maisonneuve, and gave a shoutout to the popular Lachine Canal route through the Sud-Ouest, LaSalle and Lachine.

The one challenge he mentioned was possible bike lane obstructions during periods of heavy snow, despite the city's attempts to better clear paths for winter cyclists.

The only other city in North America to make the ranking was San Francisco.

Here's CNN Travel's full list of the best cities to see while riding a bike:

• Antwerp, Belgium
• Bern, Switzerland
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Leipzig, Germany
• Melbourne, Australia
• Montreal, Canada
• San Francisco, California
• Strasbourg, France
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Utrecht, Netherlands

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.