Cycling levels in England are still up on pre-Covid times

Recent headwinds facing the bicycle industry have been significant, but further evidence that the nation is more keen about cycling has arrived via the UK government’s cycling traffic index, revealing cycling levels in the territory.

Cycling traffic peaked in March 2021 (up 62.7% from December 2013) and since then have naturally fallen by 29%. But, arguably more significantly, cycling traffic levels are 3.6% above pre-pandemic levels in England (December 2019).

Taken in a broader context, we know that bicycle imports in the UK were in decline in volume terms in the lead up to the hugely disruptive pandemic, which broadly fits these new governmental statistics.

This week, we also saw evidence that backed the concept that Brits are more pro-cycling than ever, with a record number of daily rides taken on shared bikes in the UK in 2023. Based on this week’s new stats alone, therefore, it would appear difficult to argue against the notion that the nation is becoming more in favour of cycling than ever.

So, has the pandemic given cycling a longer-term uplift? Many cycle businesses have been on the sharp end of pandemic-related disruption, but it seems that those lockdown-curtailed activities getting significantly more of the population onto bike saddles has endured in a positive way for cycling and presumably for the industry.

Active Lives Adult Survey

The cycling traffic index uses 2013 as a baseline and – the stats note – not to estimate the total number or volume of people cycling in England. However, Sport England’s Active Lives Survey, which also released new stats this week, can offer more insight on that topic. It found a significant increase in the number of people walking or cycling for travel: Over a million more adults have walked or cycled for travel compared to 12 months ago, constituting a 2.1% increase).

Speaking on those stats, National Active Travel Commissioner and Sport England Chair Chris Boardman said: “[The] Active Lives figures show that, year-on-year, one million more adults are choosing walking, wheeling and cycling as a way to get from A to B. The nationwide investment that is being put into delivering high-quality routes is paying off.

“By enabling more people to build activity into their daily lives we’re making the nation healthier, happier and greener. It’s a win-win for us all.”

If you’re looking for more industry related stats, we’ve got a place for that and of course our own Market Data Report. 

Image by Nicholas_Demetriades from Pixabay