London leaps forward with 2.5 million miles cycled everyday
London saw the biggest rise in cycling journeys in 2018, with the city continuing to see numbers grow at a higher proportion than the rest of the UK.
With cycle infrastucture investment far ahead of anywhere else in the nation, cycle journeys were up 5% in London, with over 4 km million travelled by bike each day, according to figures shared by The Guardian.
That 5% rise contrasts with 1.8% average growth in the rest of the UK. In the same article, Cycling UK highlighted that despite leading the UK, London is still a very long way from getting a diverse range of people on bikes, unlike more successful cycling nations like the Netherlands. TfL analysis found a little over a quarter of riders were women – the kind of unfortunate statistic that being addressed by Cycling UK in its Women’s Festival of Cycling campaign and the likes of the HSBC UK-backed Breeze programme.
Construction recently began on a new segregated cycle route in South East London while the Mayor of London recently claimed a doubling of protected cycle routes since he came into power.
Other UK cities look to be making increasing investments, not least Manchester. Under the stewardship of Mayor Andy Burnham and Walking and Cycling Commissioner Chris Boardman, Manchester is planning to invest £18 per head on cycling and walking, with £137 million spread over 18 new schemes.
Dame Sarah Storey announced Active Travel Pledges for Sheffield last month, having been installed as Active Travel Commissioner earlier in the year.
Leicester has also been making significant cycling noises, announcing a £1 million cycle lane across Victoria Park and £4 million cycle lanes along London Road. Those measures include raised kerbs for more protection and ‘Dutch-style’ bus stop bays, channeling cyclists behind the shelters.