Data shows continued decline in cycling levels as car traffic increases

Van distance travelled in Great Britain for the year ending June 2024 was 9.7% higher than pre-pandemic levels and 1.9% higher than June 2023

Cycling traffic levels in England continue to fall while motor traffic levels have gone up, new statistics from the DfT reveal.

Cycling traffic levels in England dropped by 7% in the 12 months up to June 2024. Figures for June 2024 are also 2.9% lower than cycling levels before the Covid-19 pandemic (for the year ending December 2019) and 33.5% down compared with peak cycling levels for the year ending 2021, when travel patterns were affected by the pandemic.

By comparison, car and taxi traffic levels were 1.9% higher in June 2024 compared with the year before but 3.9% lower than pre-pandemic levels (December 2019). The use of vans appears to have become more popular, with van traffic levels 1.9% higher in June 2024 compared with the year before, and 9.7% higher than pre-pandemic levels (December 2019).

The proportion of van traffic has increased in recent years, accounting for 18% of all motor vehicle traffic in this 12-month period.

Meanwhile, lorry traffic fell 0.9% in the 12 months up to June 2024, and was 1.4% down on pre-pandemic levels (December 2019). The DfT said that lorries accounted for 5% of all motor vehicle traffic and 1% of traffic came from other motor vehicles including motorcycles and buses.

For the year ending June 2024, 21% of motor vehicle miles travelled were on motorways, 44% on ‘A’ roads, and 35% on minor roads. The data shows that 65% of motor vehicle miles travelled were on major roads (motorways and ‘A’ roads) despite comprising only 13% of the road network by length.

The DfT said that traffic flow data is collected continuously from its Automatic Traffic Counters (ATCs). In addition to counting road traffic in each direction, the ATCs record some physical properties of passing vehicles, which are used to classify traffic by type, including cycles, said the DfT.

“The numbers of ATCs that contribute to estimating traffic flows has increased year-on-year to reflect the growing network of traffic counters that can now record cycling traffic levels,” the department said. “In 2023, around 160 cycling sensors were used to produce these statistics. The monthly cycling traffic index methodology is designed to deal with changes in the number of counters providing data. Therefore, changes in the index will reflect actual changes in cycling traffic levels rather than a change in the number of counters.”

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