City is No. 4 on continent for green transportation

When it comes to getting around sustainably, Montreal is No. 4 in North America and No. 36 in the world, according to a new ranking of 100 big cities.

The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Mobility Index, made public Sunday, ranked cities based on 20 criteria, including transit investments and affordability, access to multiple transport modes, active commuting, bike infrastructure and air pollution.

The top three cities in North America, in order: New York, San Francisco and Vancouver, with Toronto at No. 9. Vancouver was 28th on the global index, while Toronto was 54th.

On the plus side, “Montreal makes good use of digital technologies to keep riders informed and the public responds with a high rate of travel on public transit,” the study found, noting the city’s transit fares are relatively low.

The city did well on the environmental front thanks to low air pollution and incentives for electric vehicles, though it lost points for not having as many green spaces as some other cities.

There were areas where Montreal could improve, the study found, noting its “transit system would serve the city better with an increased density of stops. Proportionally, Montreal (also) spends less of its budget on public transit.”

The top five cities on the list were Hong Kong, Zurich, Paris, Seoul and Prague.

No American or Canadian city cracked the top 20. European cities made up 14 of the top 20 cities in the world.