People in England are driving more, cycling less and walking further
People in England are driving more, cycling less and walking further, the Department of Transport’s annual travel poll reveals.
The Department of Transport’s (DFT) poll compared people's travel habits, post and pre-COVID, and found that while car and van journeys are up 8% and people are walking greater distances than ever before, the average miles covered on bicycles have fallen by 17% since 2022.
According to both the AA and the RAC, the 8% increase in car journeys points to the fact that the private car is still the preferred mode of transport for many people in England be it for extended journeys (of over a mile) or just for general personal mobility; a trend the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tanks says is at odds with the UK’s 2030 carbon reduction targets.
During the pandemic, restrictions on movement saw an increase in lockdown cycling and bicycle sales. The government pledged to increase investment in bicycling infrastructure particularly pop-up bicycle lanes and cycle-only corridors. However, the report shows that in England the average annual distance covered was just 47 miles, down 17% from 2022 and just over 50% of the distance documented in 2020 (88 miles per person per year) when there was a big increase in the number of people bicycling. It is widely felt that the decline can be in part, attributed to differing levels of support for the new schemes; while measures were quickly adopted in Brighton, Greater Manchester and London, progress elsewhere was mixed and, in some areas, non-existent.
And despite people in England walking greater distances than ever before (the survey found that the average distance travelled on foot was the highest since the DFT survey began in 2002 (at 225 miles) fewer journeys were made on foot overall. Charities and campaigners say that the government and councils need to do more to get people walking and cycling.
Michael Solomon Williams, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “It’s great to see more people embracing walking as transport, but the plateau of cycling figures suggests more needs to be done to improve our cycle network … improving health and reducing the burden on NHS.”
Sign up to our newsletter to receive free insights from your sector...
Support Us...
We hope that you have found this article useful. This section is freely available for all to use. Please help support it by liking us or following us on our social media platforms:
