The 2017 National Travel Survey indicates that around 14% of people cycle at least once a week, with a further 10% cycling once a month and 10% once a year. Two thirds of people cycled less than once a year or not at all.
2017 National Travel Survey key findings:
- Distance travelled on foot per person stood at 206 miles last year, the same as in 2002. The average number of walking trips over the period rose by 5% from 328 to 343.
- The proportion of people walking over a mile (20 minutes) three times a week or more stood at 46% last year, up from 35% in 2002.
- The proportion of people who did not walk more than a mile in a single year fell to 19% in 2017, down from 23% in 2002.
- Data shows that the annual mileage of household cars between 2002 and 2017 fell from 9200 to 7800, local bus trips per person per year fell from 46 to 37 and the number of rail journeys rose from 17 to 21.
- Miles travelled on local buses fell 15% over the 15 years, but rail miles increased by 28%.
- There was also a slight rise in the proportion of car and van trips of under two miles.
- The number of vehicles on England’s roads has risen by nearly two and a half million in the last five years according to research commissioned by the Local Government Association. This marks an increase of 7.7%. Meanwhile road space has only increased by 0.6% over the same period.
Joe Irvin, Chief Executive, Living Streets said: “The rise in people using their car for journeys which could be walked shows that Britain’s illegal levels of air pollution are set to continue. The Government must act decisively. Encouraging children to walk to school could curb the number of cars making the school run.”
Cherry Allan, campaigns officer, Cycling UK said: “There’s no question that accumulated yearly mileage for individuals who do cycle has been trending upwards rather impressively, by 66.5% since 2002. But are people making longer cycle commutes, or taking in more miles for leisure? While the answer to this question is ‘yes’ to both, these figures show it’s leisure that’s booming. Commuting has done fairly well too since 2002 up from 16 miles then to 20 in 2017, but the average distance per year hasn’t changed very much at all since 2011.”
She added that the Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy sets out to make cycling the natural choice for shorter journeys. “But with no real change in the number of cycle trips, England still has a long way to go before we achieve the Government’s ambition.”
Martin Tett, LGA transport spokesman said: “England’s roads are currently gripped by a growing congestion crisis. Councils are working hard to combat traffic and congestion but need to be able to do more to tackle this growing problem. The Government should implement the recommendations of the National Infrastructure Assessment and give councils long term funding certainty for transport investments that will enable councils to embark on the widespread improvement of our roads that is desperately needed, to the benefit of all road users up and down the country.”
Photo: David Edgar and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
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