In Melbourne, we're blessed with a city that's easy to traverse. There's an extensive train and tram network, car-free day trips, bike paths and plenty of walking trails. This means it's possible to live here without owning a car, which not only helps ease congestion on the roads, but also reduces the harmful pollution that impacts our natural surrounds.
And now, a global study investigating which cities across the globe are the best for living a car-free life has affirmed this, naming Melbourne as one of the top 20 most walkable locations (ie: easy to get around without a car).
Our city came in at number 17 on the global list, facing stiff competition from other famous cities. Topping the list as the best place to live without a car was Munich in Germany, followed by Milan in Italy, Warsaw in Poland, Helsinki in Finland and Paris in France. Rounding out the top ten was Tokyo, Japan in the sixth spot, then Madrid in Spain, Oslo in Norway; Copenhagen in Denmark and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Clearly, Europe is onto something when it comes to reducing the need for cars.
To determine which cities were the best for car-free living and walkability, comparison site Compare the Market looked at factors like the amount of rainfall, the number of biking and walking trails, the location's safety, public transport quality and car-free places. One of the criteria that Melbourne scored well for was walking tracks, as one of the top four cities in the world with the most trails, alongside Sydney, Rio and Tokyo.
So strap on your sneakers or jump on your bike, and get out to explore all the walking tracks and bike paths across Melbourne – we're lucky to have them.
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