London bucks trend with jump in car-free household numbers

According to 2011 census data more people in England and Wales now have access to a car than ever before but in London, and particularly in inner London, the percentage of households with access to a private vehicle has been falling fast and is now ‘the norm’ in several boroughs.

Rik Thomas

21 December 2012

Click to Enlarge: The average number of cars and vans available to households in England and Wales rose everywhere in the past decade – with the notable exception of London, where the percentage of car-free households rose significantly

Click to Enlarge: A smaller percentage of households in England and Wales had no access to a car in 2011, in comparison with 2001, but the share of households with just one car also fell – while the percentage of households with two or more cars rose

The number of car and vans available to households in England and Wales rose by 14%, from 23.9 million to 27.3 million, between 2001 and 2011, newly published data from the 2011 census has revealed. In London, however, the number of ‘car-free’ households increased significantly over the decade.

The Office for National Statistics data shows that the 3.4 million increase in the number of cars/vans available in England and Wales over the last ten years broadly matches the increase in...