Brussels in top 10 of best European cities for green transport

Brussels comes in ninth place in a newly published list of 10 best European cities for green transport, according to a recent ranking drawn up for the Smart City Expo.

The top three are London, Amsterdam and Vienna, according to the study.

“In analyzing European capitals to determine which has the greenest transportation, we assessed the volume of electric vehicles, electric buses and charging stations,” Smart City said.

“To identify the leaders in promoting cycling, we focused on the number of bike rental companies and the total number of kilometers of bike lanes in each city.”

The ranking was developed by then comparing the data with the pollution levels in European capital cities, aiming to assess whether they were encouraging more environmentally-friendly means of transport, especially for short journeys.

“The presence of electric vehicles on the roads in the Belgian capital (14,000) aligns with the average of other European capitals, although its penetration rate remains comparatively lower,” their assessment found.

“In terms of public transportation, the network is less extensive, with only 75 electric buses in operation. However, bicycles play a significant role as a mode of transport, with over 650km of bike lanes, helping the city achieve a score of 4.93 in the ranking.”

Brussels adopted its first climate plan in 2018, while the second was put in place in 2022 with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. For the European Union, it was decided to reduce car emissions by 55% by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as well.

London’s "highly advanced" electric bus network is part of what put the British capital in first place, but the city also stands out “with 80,000 electric vehicles on its roads and over 11,000 charging stations, ensuring easy access for drivers”.

The report notes that “thanks to these sustainable transportation options, London maintains a moderate pollution level of 8.40, despite being one of the largest cities in Europe”.

The top 10 greenest European capitals, according to Smart City’s ranking, are as follows:

1. London
2. Amsterdam
3. Vienna
4. Berlin
5. Helsinki
6. Paris
7. Oslo
8. Andorra
9. Brussels
10. Luxembourg

Smart City Expo is a trade fair for urban innovation that will be held in Barcelona from 5 to 7 November.