Victoria: West Coast Energy
If Montreal and Vancouver represent the big, evolving narratives of cycling in Canada—ambition, scale, and political tension—then Victoria, British Columbia is the new kid that want’s to show them all how it’s done.
In the latest PeopleForBikes City Ratings, Victoria stands out as one of Canada’s strongest performers, earning a City Rating of 77 and placing in the 97th percentile globally (73rd overall out of 2,901 cities). In the midsize city category, it ranks 19th, with a network score that far exceeds the global average of 30.
That network score—77 out of 100—is the number that tells the real story. It reflects not just isolated infrastructure projects, but a connected system where cycling feels like a viable, everyday choice across large portions of the city.
Victoria’s strength lies in its structure—but increasingly, also in its intent. The city has explicitly committed to building a network designed for “All Ages and Abilities” (AAA)—a standard that prioritizes comfort, safety, and accessibility over speed or athleticism. With more than 40 kilometres of AAA bike routes already in place, the network is being expanded in a way that aims to reduce serious injuries, improve access to key destinations, and encourage a broader range of people to ride.
What elevates Victoria further is just how widespread and usable that network is. It isn’t confined to a handful of downtown corridors—it stretches across the region, anchored by long-distance, fully separated routes like the Galloping Goose Regional Trail. These corridors function as true cycling backbones, allowing riders to move seamlessly between neighbourhoods, suburbs, and even beyond the city itself.
Bike lane in Victoria, BC
In fact, the network’s reach is such that you can ride all the way to Victoria International Airport largely on connected, low-stress routes—an almost unheard-of benchmark in North American cities, where airports are typically designed exclusively around car access.
The PeopleForBikes City Ratings methodology places heavy emphasis on this kind of connectivity—mapping how comfortably riders can move through a city. In Victoria’s case, a significant portion of trips can be completed on routes designed to minimize stress, whether through protected bike lanes, multi-use paths, or traffic-calmed shared streets.
Another defining feature is how cycling infrastructure is delivered. Rather than standalone projects, many improvements are integrated into broader street upgrades, aligning cycling investments with wider safety and accessibility goals. This approach not only accelerates implementation, but helps normalize cycling as part of the overall transportation system.
Still, like any high-performing city, the next challenge is expansion. Maintaining a top-tier ranking will depend on how effectively Victoria can extend its AAA network into more areas, close remaining gaps, and ensure that growth keeps pace with demand.
Ottawa: The Capital
On paper, Ottawa should be one of Canada’s cycling standouts. As the national capital—with vast green space, long ceremonial corridors, and a relatively low-density core—it has many of the ingredients that typically produce strong bike cities. And in the latest Copenhagenize Index, it ranks 67th globally, placing it firmly in the conversation, if not yet in the top tier.
The city is often described as highly bike-friendly in its core, and for good reason. Ottawa has built out more than 800 kilometres of cycling infrastructure, combining multi-use pathways, on-road lanes, and recreational routes into one of the more extensive networks in Canada. At the centre of this system is the Capital Cycling Route, which connects major destinations and scenic corridors through the urban fabric and along the Ottawa River.
Perhaps the city’s most defining asset is its network of over 170 kilometres of scenic, car-free pathways, including the widely used Ottawa River Pathway. These routes give Ottawa a rare advantage among Canadian capitals: long, continuous stretches of cycling infrastructure that feel genuinely separated from traffic, not merely painted onto it.
Infrastructure continues to evolve. Protected lanes—such as those on Laurier Avenue—signal a shift toward more permanent, safety-oriented design, while “Complete Streets” projects are gradually filling in gaps between older segments of the network. The direction of travel is clear: Ottawa is moving from a recreational cycling city toward a more integrated transportation system.
The city also benefits from unique regional assets that extend beyond municipal boundaries. Gatineau Park, just across the river, offers immediate access to some of the country’s best road cycling and mountain biking terrain. Meanwhile, the National Capital Commission’s Weekend Bikedays program transforms major parkways into car-free cycling routes, temporarily turning some of the region’s most iconic roads into linear bike parks.
Taken together, these elements make Ottawa feel, at times, like a cycling city of two identities: one recreational, one urban. The recreational side is strong, scenic, and well-developed. The urban side is more uneven.
Cycling in Ottawa
That contrast becomes more visible when you move beyond the core. In central Ottawa, cyclists benefit from relatively dense infrastructure, bike parking, and growing amenities such as repair stations and dedicated facilities. But as you move into the suburbs, the network becomes less cohesive. Wide arterial roads, higher traffic speeds, and fewer protected connections create a more fragmented experience—one that can make cycling feel less predictable or comfortable for everyday commuting.
This split is one of Ottawa’s defining challenges. The city is not lacking in cycling infrastructure overall; it is lacking in continuity. Even well-designed segments can feel disconnected when transitions between neighbourhoods are not seamless.
Still, Ottawa’s trajectory is not stagnant. The scale of its existing network gives it a strong foundation, and ongoing investments in protected infrastructure and corridor planning suggest a city that understands the direction it needs to move in. The challenge is less about starting from scratch and more about knitting together what already exists into a more coherent whole.