Abstract
This study compares bicycle policies in two mid-sized European cities: Stavanger, Norway, and Kraków, Poland, to explore how cycling is being integrated into broader strategies for climate-neutral urban mobility. The research employs qualitative, comparative analysis to evaluate key dimensions, including infrastructure quality, planning frameworks, funding and governance, cultural attitudes, and integration with public transportation. The findings reveal contrasting institutional conditions: Stavanger benefits from legally binding, coordinated frameworks that support stable implementation, whereas Kraków relies on fragmented planning instruments and shifting political will, despite recent progress. However, both cities share similar challenges such as modest modal shares, car dependency, and behavioural inertia. Kraków demonstrates notable bottom-up innovation, particularly in multimodal integration and public engagement, while Stavanger offers a model of institutional coherence and accountability. The study highlights the importance of a successful cycling strategy, demonstrating that it requires more than infrastructure expansion and good maintenance; it also depends on how well cycling is integrated within legal, spatial, cultural, and financial systems. Lessons from these cases can inform both planning and governance efforts, as well as broader initiatives aimed at aligning mobility policy with sustainability and climate goals.