In a surprising turn of events, Paris has beaten Amsterdam as the most cycle-friendly city for kids in the 2025 child mobility ranking.
Clean Cities looked at 36 European cities to see how they are prioritising the needs of children when it comes to transport, as this plays an important role in achieving goals for making cities safer, healthier and more sustainable. “A city that is good for children is good for everyone,” said Tim Gill, lead researcher on children’s play and mobility.
To determine a city’s position in the ranking, the study looked at three key indicators that have been identified as important measures by the EU’s European Road Safety Observatory and included in UNICEF’s urban planning recommendations, namely:
Each city was then given a total score out of 100 based on performance in these categories. Paris took the number one spot after investments for the 2024 Olympics and efforts by the city mayor to improve cycling infrastructure. Amsterdam and Antwerp round out the top three.
While Amsterdam may not hold the crown in the child mobility ranking, the Dutch capital did take the number two spot with an overall score of 63 percent. The city known for its cycling culture performed the best when it came to safe speeds, coming in 4th place in this category, with 80 percent of roads having speed limits of 30km/h or lower.
This comes after the city introduced the new 30km/h speed limit on roads and bike paths. However, there are concerns about the government increasing speed limits elsewhere, such as the new 130km/h speed limit on motorways.
With research showing that cyclists in all age groups prefer cycle paths that are physically separated from car traffic, protected cycling infrastructure is an important part of encouraging children to cycle. While only 34 percent of Amsterdam’s road network has this type of infrastructure, the city’s strong cycle culture is praised for making it one of the safest cycling cities, claiming it the number five spot in this category.
Where the Dutch capital has the worst performance is when it comes to school streets. With just 15 school streets, while there are 216 primary schools, Amsterdam has missed the opportunity to provide safer streets for children.
In all, here are the top European cities for child-friendly mobility:
For more information about the study or to see the full ranking, visit the Clean Cities website.
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