By Joseph Timan
The best and worst places for cycling in Greater Manchester have been revealed in the latest rankings of cities and towns across the world. The annual City Ratings data puts the city of Manchester mid-table in the UK, but ranks the region as a whole at joint last place. The UK continues to lag behind Europe, according to the ratings released this week by bicycle advocacy group PeopleforBikes with ‘little progress’ made across the country. The data also suggests there is a persistent gap between London and the rest of the UK. The City Ratings scores measure the quality and connectivity of each place’s bike network which includes features such as protected bike lanes, bike paths, low speed limits, and safe crossings. According to this methodology, Greater Manchester scores 50 out of 100. This puts Greater Manchester in joint last place of the regions ranked, level with the West Midlands and 20 points behind London. The city of Manchester remains at the top of the region with a score of 65, up from 64 the previous year, putting it 41st in the country. It comes after Manchester was crowned the European Capital of Cycling last year which saw a ‘record number’ of journeys by bike. However, the city doesn’t appear high up in these rankings for Europe, with only Cambridge and Hackney representing the UK in the top 20. Only Wigan , Salford and Trafford scored above 50 this year, with 58, 55 and 52 points respectively, while Stockport scored 49. The remaining five boroughs in Greater Manchester all feature in the bottom 20 across the country, according to the data. With 40 points, Bury was the second worst in the UK out of the 107 places analysed, beating only Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. Oldham was second bottom in Greater Manchester with a score of just 44, while Rochdale , Tameside and Bolton all scored 45. The data suggests Bolton was the most improved this year, gaining two points, while Oldham and Tameside dropped a point each. Harry Gray, Walk Ride Greater Manchester said: 鈥樷橶e welcome Manchester鈥檚 progress in 2025, but stagnation across the other boroughs shows Greater Manchester isn鈥檛 doing enough to build the Active Bee Network. 鈥樷橧n some areas, political will is lacking – councils do not even have dedicated active travel officers; In others like Manchester and Trafford , political ambition exists, but isn鈥檛 being matched by funding from Andy Burnham or central government. 鈥樷橶e call for a significant share of this year鈥檚 devolution funding to be allocated to Active Travel.鈥欌 Jenn Dice, PeopleForBikes President and CEO, said: “This year鈥檚 City Ratings highlight the progress being made in parts of the UK and the ongoing need for greater investment in safe, connected cycling lanes nationwide. “We know that when cities invest in better infrastructure, more people choose to ride, and that leads to wide-ranging benefits like reduced congestion and better health outcomes,鈥 “These findings give decision-makers and advocates the evidence they need to take bold, informed action to make bicycling a more accessible and appealing option for everyone.” Transport for Greater Manchester has been contacted for comment.