In publishing the UK Walking and Cycling Index, Sustran’s aim is to support leaders of cities and towns to understand and improve “walking, wheeling and cycling” across the UK and Ireland. Coming on the back of major government announcements aimed at boosting sustainable travel, we look at the active travel trends for place leaders to follow.
The UK Walking and Cycling Index aims to inform local decision-making by providing detailed evidence gathered from 18 urban areas, or index cities, from across the UK and Ireland. It follows on from previous Bike Life reports and adds coverage of walking and ‘wheeling’ trends to information about cycling. The term ‘wheeling’ is used to ensure that wheelchair and mobility scooter users are included. It is important to say the Index does not currently cover e-scooters and offers minimal insights on rural active travel trends.
The launch of the index comes within a week of plans to widen e-scooters use being announced in the Queen’s Speech as part of a new Transport Bill, and news of £200 million of government funding for new walking and cycling schemes across England.
To help understand the active travel trends for place leaders to follow, we pull out what we believe to be some of the key data in this comprehensive report. We do not do this to evangelise about the benefits of active travel though rather seek to present objective facts to inform understanding and decision-making by place leaders.
The importance of walking and wheeling
The first point to come out of the data is not to under-estimate the importance of walking and wheeling within wider active travel.
- 5 billion walking and wheeling trips were made in index cities in the past year
- 3 million return walking trips are made daily in index cities that could have used a car
- 50% of residents walk at least five days a week, whilst just 17% of residents cycle at least once a week
- 74% of residents think their local area overall is a good place to walk, as opposed to 42% who think it is a good place to cycle
- the most popular purpose for walking is to reach a particular destination, e.g. work, shopping (51%); followed by enjoyment or fitness (42%)
- 80% of residents would be encouraged to walk if there were more shops and everyday services, such as banks and post offices, close to their home
- the most popular change to encourage residents to walk more is to create nicer places along streets to rest (80%); followed by more frequent and quicker road crossings (73%).
The report uses 800m, equivalent to a 10-minute leisurely stroll, as a benchmark for assessing the proximity of services.
Opportunities to increase the role of cycling
With an estimated 1.99 billion journeys of up to 3 miles (approximately 5km) driven in the index cities alone each year, it is important to consider the opportunities to increase the role of cycling in extending the active travel reach.
- 4 million cycling trips were made in index cities in the past year
- 260,000 return cycling trips are made daily in index cities by people that could have used a car
- cycling increased modestly during the pandemic despite periodic lockdowns with 36% of all residents cycling in 2021 compared to 32% in 2019
- only 42% of all residents think their local area overall is a good place to cycle
- the most popular purpose for cycling is shopping, personal business and social trips (33%); followed by work (31%); and leisure (25%)
- 10% of residents perceive themselves as cycling regularly; 18% occasionally; 5% new or returning to cycling; with 30% saying they do not cycle but would like to
- the most popular personal improvement to encourage cycling was jointly access to secure cycle storage at or near home and access to a bike (55%); followed by access or improvements to a city cycle sharing scheme (49%)
- the most popular infrastructure investment for encouraging more cycling was more traffic-free cycle routes away from roads, e.g. through parks or along waterways (69%); followed closely by more cycle tracks along roads that are physically separated from traffic and pedestrians (65%)
- across the index cities, there are 1,932 miles of traffic-free cycle routes away from the road and 116 miles of cycle tracks physically separated from traffic and pedestrians
- only 19% of households are within 125 m of at least one type of these routes or signposted alternatives on quiet roads
Inequalities in walking, wheeling and cycling
Walking, wheeling and cycling participation is not always equal.
- the proportion of residents who cycle at least once a week is 11% of women and 23% of men
- the proportion of residents who cycle at least once a week by socio-economic group is 22% of AB, 12% of DE
- the proportion of residents that feel welcome and comfortable walking, wheeling or spending time on the streets of their neighbourhood is 55% for socio-economic group DE, compared to 74% for socio-economic group AB
Balancing walking, wheeling, cycling and driving
The survey findings suggest a recognition by residents of the need to rebalance the opportunities to travel into town other than by car.
- 63% agree increasing space for people socialising, walking and cycling on their local high street would improve their local area
- only 26% of residents think that their streets are not dominated by moving or parked motor vehicles.
- residents would find fewer motor vehicles on their streets useful to walk more (66%) and cycle more (62%)
Offering understanding to match place leaders’ roles
The value of this data in adding to the understanding of active travel trends for place leaders will vary with their role; whether town centre manager, strategic planner, edge of town housing developer or parking provider. Neither is it that the data provided by the UK Walking and Cycling Index provides an overwhelming demonstration of the projected growth of walking, wheeling and cycling. In a sector though, where the instinctive response is not to risk limiting the movement of motorists, it does perhaps help open the mind to the parallel opportunities available to increase visits through active travel.
Read our wider analysis of the post-pandemic direction of travel or about the practicality and pragmatism of Park Active as a new way in to town.
