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• 2022 IN REVIEW

These are the best travel photos of 2022

Explore the world in 17 stunning images from our contributors.

As travel returned this year, we ventured back into the world with a renewed sense of adventure. From Alaska’ s Denali National Park and Reserve to Indonesia ’s lush rainforests, the photographs we published in 2022 reflect the beauty of our world through fresh perspectives.  

Our National Geographic contributors were tasked with documenting the enduring essence of travel. They opened the aperture on innovative conservation efforts, vibrant cultural communities, and underappreciated destinations ready for future travel.

As we look to the new year, we hope these photographs ignite your adventurous spirit, encourage transformative experiences, and set you off on your next journey.

( Discover 25 amazing Best of the World destinations for 2023 .)

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Active travel

Be it walking to school, cycling to work, or other everyday journeys you make to get from place to place – rather than solely for leisure or fitness – active travel can offer a convenient, accessible and affordable way to move more.

At a glance

• Our research

Tools and resources

Increasing levels of physical activity is central to improving the nation’s health and wellbeing, and active travel - which is the everyday journeys we make to get from place to place, like cycling to work - is widely viewed as having the potential to play a major part in that mission.

The evidence base on the link between active travel and physical activity is extensive, wide-ranging in terms of the interventions reviewed, exhibits variable degrees of rigour, and can be interpreted in different ways. In particular, the volume of available material has grown considerably in recent years and are expected to continue to grow in coming years. 

Our strategy - Uniting the Movement

Uniting the Movement, our 10-year strategy launched in 2021, is our plan to make being physically active a normal part of life for everyone in England – to make it easier for all of us as we go about our everyday lives.

Movement makes people happier and healthier, and it does the same thing for our communities – with life-changing, sustainable benefits that have huge economic and social value.

We’re shining a light on the huge impact environmental prompts and cues can have in changing people’s behaviour, which is why we’re championing Active Design  alongside active travel.

Active Design promotes physical activity, health and stronger communities through the way we design and build our towns and cities.

It has 10 principles to inspire and inform the layout of cities, towns, villages, neighbourhoods, buildings, streets and open spaces, to create more opportunities for physical activity.

Find out more about our Uniting the Movement strategy

What we know

• 37% of adults aged 16+ travel actively at least twice a month 
• Walking for travel is the second most common physical activity in England – done by 33% of people at least twice a month 
• Cycling for travel is seventh – done by 6.8% of people
• 37% of children aged 5-15 walk for travel at least once a week, and 10% cycle for travel 
• Among the ‘active’ population, 11% are dependent on walking for travel and 1.3% on cycling for travel, to achieve their 150+ minutes of physical activity.

Sustrans on Active Travel

Carried out by an independent team led by walking and cycling charity Sustrans , in partnership with Dr Nick Cavill and Professor Adrian Davis, their research examines the effect active travel has on overall physical activity levels and reviews the effectiveness of many types of active travel interventions at increasing walking, cycling or physical activity.

The research looked at short journeys, like walking to the shops, walking the kids to school, cycling to work, or cycling to the station to catch a train.

There’s strong evidence that implementing active travel principles are effective at increasing walking, cycling and physical activity, particularly for town or citywide approaches, typically made up of several interventions working together across a whole place.

Overall, the Sustrans review concludes that interventions increase active travel and therefore levels of physical activity. Of the different typologies, the evidence was strongest (in terms of volume and robustness) when active travel was encouraged in cities or towns, while each of the other intervention types reported some increases in walking and/or cycling.

Data from leading surveys show the significant contribution active travel already makes to the overall physical activity levels of children and adults.

There's a clear consensus that active travel can make an even greater contribution to physical activity – through increasing both the amount and intensity of activity. This evidence review gives the platform for a direct and coordinated effort to realise this untapped potential.

Active Travel Uptake and Physical Activity

Active Travel Uptake and Physical Activity explores the relationship between physical activity and active travel behaviour, using data from the People and Places Survey (which is used by Transport for London to evaluate their Mini-Holland scheme).

It reveals how active travel can be effective at helping inactive people become active, and how increasing active travel can increase overall physical activity too. 

Variation in Active Travel and the Scope to Increase Participation

Variation in Active Travel and the Scope to Increase Participation analyses two major datasets to assess the variation in, and scope to, increase active travel. It includes two scenarios showing the impact if everywhere had London’s short walking rates, or Cambridge’s cycling rates. Effective interventions and collaboration across the sector could help us realise this unmet potential.

Active Travel Full Report – Evidence Review

Active Travel Full Report – Evidence Review provides an in-depth account of the research methodology (including study limitations), findings and conclusions drawn from Sustrans' study, as well as context and contributions relevant to the study. Literature is also included which covers a control mechanism to support comparison between the intervention and non-intervention locations.

Active Travel Summary – Evidence Review

Active Travel Summary – Evidence Review provides an authoritative account of how, and how best, active travel can support physical activity. It provides the main findings and messages, gives examples of effective interventions and tells you how you can use the full report to deliver, fund and research active travel to support physical activity.

Related content

The outdoors presents a huge opportunity to encourage people to get active. But to grow the outdoors activity market, there are some key trends to consider.

The design of where we live and work plays a vital role in keeping us active.

Our Active Lives surveys measure the physical activity levels of adults and children and young people across England, providing a wealth of data.

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Play streets

• Inspiration

Play streets and active travel

Alongside the many other benefits for children and communities , resident-led play streets can reduce car use, make streets safer and increase walking and cycling..

Active Travel Infographic

Feel free to download and share this infographic full of data which demonstrates the positive impact of play streets on active travel

What is active travel and why does it matter?

Safer, more ‘liveable’ streets, children’s independent mobility, safe opportunities to learn to cycle on the doorstep, increasing road-sense, normalising children in the street, reducing car journeys, supporting other active travel measures, building consensus, reducing conflict, creating a vision.

The term “active travel” has become shorthand for walking, wheeling and cycling and is something health experts and policy-makers are keen to encourage and enable for health and environmental reasons. Walking and cycling are currently the only means of transport that are almost entirely carbon neutral, non-polluting and health-giving. Reducing car dominance and dependency (including electric vehicles) would also make streets safer, open up space and enable communities to connect.

In the midst of the pandemic the Government announced a £2billion fund for local authorities to quickly implement measures such as school streets, cycle lanes and low-traffic neighbourhoods. We would strongly urge councils to add play streets to their active travel strategies as a low-cost, community-building way to demonstrate the benefits of safer, more people-friendly streets.

Through using the street in a different way, play streets encourage a shift away from a “roads are for cars” mentality, showing that the streets where we live are a shared space for everyone to use, including children. This should influence car drivers to drive more considerately through residential areas, with greater awareness of other “road users”, or even to avoid driving for short journeys.

Safer, less traffic dominated streets are the key to increasing active travel, especially for children. A survey commissioned by British Cycling in 2019 found that:

• 92% of all parents used to ride bikes on their local streets as a child
• 76% said they feel it is less safe for their child to ride a bike in the local area than it was for them

Active travel has huge health and environmental benefits for everyone. But for children, it has an extra and incredibly important significance, as walking and cycling are thier only means to get around independently of adults – to get to the bus stop, call on a friend, go to the park or local shops, get themselves to school. The benefit of this “independent mobility” for children is immeasurable, opening up opportunities, enabling them to be outdoors and active, to connect with friends, to gain confidence and to feel part of their local neighbourhoods.

Play streets support children’s independent mobility in several ways:

• Making streets safer
• Building children’s skills and confidence
•  Normalising children being out in the street

One specific way that play streets help children to be more independently mobile is by giving them a safe opportunity, on their doorstep, to learn to cycle in a street environment.

In our 2017 survey of over 100 play streets, 80% said that children had learned or improved physical skills including riding a bike.

One parent commented, “ My boy has been practising cycling during our playing out sessions and it’s totally paid off. He’s now independently cycling .”

Research  by the University of Bristol on play streets found that, “ Another prevalent behaviour, which may promote increased physical activity and independent mobility beyond street play sessions, was development of cycling skills and confidence. This was observed in those children new to cycling (some as old as nine and ten years) who had not had the opportunity to learn how to cycle or were not confident enough to cycle unaided ”.

Parents have also reported that play streets provide a good opportunity for children to learn the “rules of the road” in a safe, managed environment (e.g. stay on the pavement until the road is closed to cars; be alert for moving vehicles). Seeing their children gain more road-sense gives parents confidence to gradually allow their children greater freedom to walk and cycle, in line with their growing skills and awareness.

Another factor in helping children to be more independent is the normalisation of being out in the street and, along with this, a sense of “Safety in numbers”. One Bristol play street organiser reported that, “ A spontaneous scooter gang emerged in our street recently, a sure sign that after 18 months of playing out formal sessions in our street things are changing! ”.

As children’s freedom to be outdoors and get to places independently has diminished, they have become largely dependent on adults to take them to places and activities in order to have fun, socialise, play and be active. Often these journeys are done by car. By creating an opportunity for children to play together near home, helping children to make friends locally and normalising the idea of ‘doorstep play’, play streets reduce the need for these car journeys.

Research from the University of Amsterdam showcases evidence of how play streets can transform transport behaviour and act as a stepping stone towards enabling active travel in children, changing driver behaviour and reducing car usage.

Play streets can help build support and compliance with other measures, such as 20mph zones, by demonstrating the importance of slower speeds and safer streets for children and for communities. Bristol City Council team promoted and supported play streets in the city alongside their implementation of a city-wide 20mph limit and put children’s voices  at the heart of their messaging.

Conversely, research shows that “ Other initiatives such as traffic-calming and speed restrictions (20mph zones) are likely to complement street play initiatives. Further work should focus on investigating how policy initiatives may be synergistic and provide added-value for promoting health and social wellbeing in communities ”.

Play streets give communities a chance to experience their street free from traffic in an unthreatening, temporary, community-led way, building support for more permanent changes.

Permanent changes to streets, such as the recent advent of low traffic neighbourhoods , can be extremely controversial – even ‘war-like’, as they are often presented and perceived as a battle between different road-user groups (e.g. pro-cyclist, anti-car driver). Putting children’s needs at the forefront of such proposed changes provides a common purpose and takes the heat out of the debate; most people have children in their lives who they care about – and we have all been children.

Furthermore, these changes are very often proposed or even imposed by local authorities, making communities feel ‘done to’ and often resulting in a negative backlash. Self-organising temporary play streets gives residents more sense of ownership and agency over their own ‘front yard’, making it far more likely they will engage with any proposals or consultations in a positive way.

Finally, play streets instantly transform a traffic-dominated road into a playful, vibrant people-friendly place, where cars and children can happily co-exist. They make visible the need, desire and potential within communities for residential streets to be liveable public spaces. They show what is possible for streets in a very simple and tangible way, allowing people to imagine a different reality, where space is used and shared more fairly. As one parent said of her play street, “ It’s important to remember that roads are not exclusively for cars and can be used for other things ”.

Back seat children. Living Streets (2008) Can play streets help transform travel behaviour? Hudson. (2021) Children’s Independent Mobility: A comparative study. Shaw. (2013) Children’s Independent Mobility: an international comparison and recommendations for action. Shaw. (2015) Hackney play streets: rethinking, re-materializing and representing public life on street. Griffin. (2015) How play streets support the development of physical literacy in children. University of La Trobe (2020) National Institute for Health Research (2021) Playing Out Survey (2017) Playing Out Survey (2021) Reported road casualties in Great Britain: Annual Report (2018) The Mass Experiment (2012) The State of Cycling 2019 Why temporary street closures make sense for public health. University of Bristol (2016)

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Would you like to stay in touch, do you work for a community organisation, would any of this stuff make it easier, what is your council doing, can we help in any way.

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Adventure travel hacks – pack for an active vacation without checking a bag

Our travel hacks help lightweight adventurers skip exorbitant baggage fees and avoid the hassle of lost luggage so you can enjoy your active vacation

Being a lover of travel and outdoor action, I’ve taken a lot of active vacations over the years, some with a detailed itinerary of hiking and skiing in National Parks and alpine resorts, others just holidays where I brought my trail running shoes along in case the opportunity arose. Being a budget-conscious traveler, I’ve also made a bit of an art form out of packing for these trips without checking a bag, including a whirlwind two week trip where I flew from Scotland to Vail, Colorado for a week of skiing then onwards to Yosemite National Park to lead a hiking and yoga retreat, all of which I managed with only a carry on.

Checking a bag, after all, is a pain. It means you have to get to the airport early and stand in line before you stand in line again to go through security and again to board the plane. There’s the constant fear that your bag isn’t going to be waiting for you on the carousel when you get off the plane, which admittedly has only happened to me three times but caused a major headache each time. And let’s not mention those exorbitant fees that usually come with carrying your personal belongings on a plane in modern times.

To avoid the hassle and expense, I rely on the following travel hacks to help me pack for a hiking or skiing holiday without checking a bag. With these trusted tips, I always have everything I need when I land, don’t have to wrestle with overhead lockers and never worry about losing my gear.

How to pack for an active vacation without checking a bag 

When it comes to time to prepare for your trip, I recommend working through the following list, laying out everything on your bed and packing it a couple of days ahead of time to make sure it all fits, and you can comfortably carry it before you set off. 

The thing about an active vacation is that there are so many bags involved! Now, if you’re going backpacking , it’s all fairly easy as long as you have lightweight gear and a good backpack . For this trip, pack a backpack with around a 30 liter capacity with everything you need and take it on board as your carry-on. 

When I’m doing this, I typically pack a small cloth bag somewhere inside my backpack and when I get to the  gate, decant the things I want with me on the plane (passport, book, water bottle , face mask, snacks) and stash that under the seat in front of me while putting the backpack in the overhead locker. Ideally, you’ll want a backpack that fits a decent amount of gear with loads of compression straps so that the airline staff don’t grab you on your way onto the plane and make you check it or pay extra. 

If you’re not actually going backpacking, but enjoying day hikes during your trip, you can still use the same backpack (or a running backpack if it's a faster pace you're planning), but the main issue is that you also need a daypack for the trail to carry your water and waterproof jacket . Good daypacks like my Osprey take up a surprising amount of space inside your bigger backpack, while carrying two backpacks at the airport is a bit awkward, and also increases your chances of having to surrender a bag at boarding. 

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A smaller rolling suitcase on wheels that fits in the overhead can solve this issue, where you can pack the majority of your gear and then carry your daypack on your back to go under the seat in front of you, but my preference is my North Face Base Camp Duffel which holds tons of gear, including an empty daypack if you want, but squashes down and can turn into a backpack if needed. It also comes with a removable mesh zippered insert that you can use as your toiletry bag or to hold gear that you want to have under the seat in front of you when you board the plane.

When you’re packing, put the bulkiest stuff like shoes and camping gear in first and stuff your clothes in around it. Use the zipped pockets for small gear you want to keep safe like a headlamp , travel documents, sunglasses , phone and wallet. That way it’s always close to hand and all together to avoid frantic last-minute rummaging.

Footwear 

Now that we’ve got bags out of the way, let's talk shoes. If your active vacation involves trail running or hiking on dry, well-maintained trails in an arid climate, you’re in luck. Shoes are the bulkiest thing you’ll need to bring, but you may simply be able wear your favorite trail running shoes for the whole trip. After all, they’re comfortable and breathable for the journey, running, hiking and hanging out – just don’t bring a waterproof pair if you can avoid it since they’ll get sweaty. 

If it’s going to be warm, you can also pack flip flops to change into in the evenings, which won’t take up much space in your pack and even fit in the mesh side pockets if needed.

If your trip involves more rugged hiking terrain or wet, muddy conditions and you need the protection of a pair of hiking boots , they are definitely a bit heavier and muddier, but there are ways to lighten your load. I recommend investing in a pair of lighter synthetic hiking boots like my Helly Hansen Switchback Trail HTs rather than a heavy leather pair so you can pretty comfortably wear them on the plane. Then you’ll have room in your pack for a second, lighter pair of shoes. Stuff these full of items like your socks and underwear and pack them at the bottom of your bag.

Finally, for warmer weather excursions, I’ve found I’m able to really cut down on my footwear cargo by wearing my Keen Newport H2 hiking sandals on the plane, which serve me on the trails and at the beach, eliminating the need for a backup pair of lighter shoes. If you’re leaving from a colder climate, you can wear socks with them to get to the airport so your toes don’t freeze.

Clothes 

Exactly what clothing you’ll need of course varies from trip to trip and it’s important to understand what conditions you might expect and observe any packing list that you have received for your trip. Cooler climates and high altitude adventures usually mean you need a warm insulating layer such as a down jacket , while for milder and low altitude trips you may just need a light fleece as your warmest layer. 

However, with these few basic principles, you can usually really cut down on your clothing:

• Merino wool : When possible, choose clothing made from merino wool because it doesn’t get as smelly as synthetic fabrics and can withstand multiple wears.
• Stretch : Choose clothing that has a decent amount of stretch so that you can wear it comfortably on the plane, for aerobic activities, yoga and even sleeping.
• Multi use : Seek garments that can also be worn across multiple activities, such as leggings or joggers that you can wear for hiking, running, travel and yoga, or flattering T-shirts that you can wear hiking or to a restaurant.
• Simple colors : Go for clothing in simple dark or neutral colors so you can easily mix and match outfits, but of course that’s an entirely personal preference.

As I’ve already stated, exactly what you bring will be determined by the location, season and activities as well as your personal preferences, but to get you started, here’s what I bring on almost every active vacation:

• Tops : 2x merino wool base layers (one long sleeve, one short sleeve).
• Pants : One lightweight pair of hiking pants (zip-off short/trousers hybrids are great) and one pair of leggings that can be used for hiking, yoga, running, as thermal underwear and even for going out at night.
• Socks : Two pairs of merino wool hiking socks (at least one thick pair if it will be cold at night).
• Jackets : Fleece jacket, waterproof jacket.
• Pajamas : I personally go without pajamas unless I’m sharing a room, but if you need to travel with night clothes go for light and skimpy or use your thermals if you’re camping.
• Sun hat : I love my Arc’teryx Paltz cap which keeps both the sun and rain out of my eyes but doesn’t have a stiff peak, so I can roll it up for any adventure.
• Bathing suit : I never travel without something I can swim in, in case the opportunity arises, but remember that underwear can usually double as swimwear.

As you can see, I travel pretty light, but if you follow my lead and wear half of this clothing on the plane – usually the hiking pants, short sleeve base layer and fleece jacket in my case – not very much needs to go in your pack at all, leaving room for other gear like a hat and gloves , harness , or any dressy items you might want to pack for non-active components on the trip.

Another good tip is that if I have to bring a puffer jacket, I choose down over synthetic because it’s usually less bulky. If I don’t want to wear it on the plane, which I usually won’t outside of winter, I use a stuff sack to compress it. My Rab Infinity Microlight jacket came with its own stuff sack but any smaller sack will help cut down on the bulk.

Other gear 

Depending on the type of trip you’re taking, you may need to bring other gear that can be less stuffable than clothes, but if you keep your clothing to a minimum and wear some of your active gear as travel clothes, you should have room in a 30 liter pack for the following:

• Water bottle : Bring a collapsible (soft) water bottle or hydration bladder that can be emptied at the airport and flattened in-flight. I use my Lifestraw Peak Series which is also a water filter in the backcountry.
• Trekking poles : Make sure your trekking poles are collapsible and can slide into the side pockets so they’re not taking up room in the main compartment if possible.
• Sleeping bag liner : Sometimes required and sometimes just preferred, sleeping bag liners can be more hygienic if you’re staying in hostels or mountain cabins, or add warmth if you’re camping in cooler weather – just make sure yours comes with a stuff sack.
• Other camping gear : If your trip requires you to travel with camping gear, I love my highly packable Sea to Summit Ember II Down camping quilt and Therm-a-Rest ProLite Apex sleeping pad that both pack down really small. Don’t forget to bring a hiking first aid kit if needed.
• Entertainment : If you want some entertainment for the flight or evenings in your tent , a fully charged e-reader preloaded with books is less bulky than paperbacks, an even lighter pair of headphones means you can rely on podcasts on your phone (I even pre-download shows to the Netflix app) and an old fashioned deck of cards can be nice and light if you’re traveling with a friend.

Obviously, you’re going to have to bring travel-sized toiletries unless you’re able to buy them when you arrive. Once again, I keep things to a minimum and leave everything I don’t need, like makeup and hair products, at home. Again, what you need depends on your trip and preferences, but here are some items I usually pack:

• Insect repellent
• Hand sanitizer
• Face oil or moisturizer
• Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss
• Dr Bronners soap
• Micro towel (a mini towel is enough for bathing while a full size towel can also double as a yoga mat)

I usually pack my so-called “dry” items like my toothbrush and ear plugs in a cloth travel bag and put all liquids in a plastic bag that I keep at the very top of my backpack to keep security hassle-free.

A final word of advice: if you are going to be adventuring in extreme conditions, it’s more important to be safe than it is to avoid baggage fees. If the amount of gear you need requires checking a bag, do it and stay alive.

• 9 tips for flying with camping gear

Julia Clarke is a staff writer for Advnture.com and the author of the book  Restorative Yoga for Beginners . She loves to explore mountains on foot, bike, skis and belay and then recover on the the yoga mat. Julia graduated with a degree in journalism in 2004 and spent eight years working as a radio presenter in Kansas City, Vermont, Boston and New York City before discovering the joys of the Rocky Mountains. She then detoured west to Colorado and enjoyed 11 years teaching yoga in Vail before returning to her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in 2020 to focus on family and writing.  

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• Driving and road transport
• Cycling and walking

Active travel: local authority toolkit

• Department for Transport

Updated 10 August 2022

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/active-travel-local-authority-toolkit/active-travel-local-authority-toolkit

Walking, wheeling and cycling are the least carbon-intensive ways to travel.

However, walking currently accounts for only 5% of the total distance travelled in England. Around 49% of trips in towns and cities under 5 miles were made by car in 2021, with around a quarter of all car trips in England less than 2 miles.

Many of these trips could be walked, wheeled or cycled, which would help to reduce the 68 megatons ( Mt ) carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emitted from cars in 2019. This would benefit local economies, as well as improve people’s health.

More active travel will also make roads quieter, safer and more attractive for people to walk, wheel and cycle – a virtuous cycle.

As we decarbonise transport, making all cars, public transport and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) zero emission is part of the solution, but relying solely on zero emission road vehicles isn’t enough.

Road traffic, even on pre-COVID-19 trends, was predicted to grow by 22% from 2015 to 2035, much of it in cities where building new roads is physically difficult and disadvantages communities.

As set out in the second cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS2), the government wants walking, wheeling and cycling to be the natural first choice for shorter journeys or as part of longer journeys.

Local authorities can play an important role in increasing walking, wheeling and cycling. Through influencing planning and taking a wider, strategic view of travel infrastructure across their area, authorities can ensure that active travel infrastructure connects residents to services.

As local leaders, authorities have a wide sphere of influence and can lead by example in adopting, promoting and providing infrastructure to enable and encourage active travel with their staff.

Authorities can also work with local businesses, industrial estates and business improvement districts to design specific interventions and behaviour change programmes to enable active travel with their employees and customers.

The primary actions for local authorities are to:

• develop Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs)
• develop and implement Travel Demand Management Plans
• plan for and improve active travel infrastructure
• promote behaviour change to enable active travel

What active travel means

Active travel refers to modes of travel that involve a level of activity.

The term is often used interchangeably with walking and cycling, but active travel can also include trips made by wheelchair, mobility scooters, adapted cycles, e-cycles, scooters, as well as cycle sharing schemes (adapted from the definition in the Future of Mobility: urban strategy .

Wheels for Wellbeing explains that cycling includes a wide range of cycle types, including:

• recumbent tricycles
• cycles for 2 (tandem, side by side, wheelchair tandem and duet bikes)

Recent changes in active travel

The 2021 National Travel Survey found that the number of walking trips remained at a similar level to 2020, which is below the level seen in recent years prior to the pandemic. Whilst overall levels of walking have fallen in recent years, people are choosing to walk further, with walking trips of over a mile remaining higher than pre-pandemic years.

Cycling decreased back towards pre-pandemic levels, following a peak during 2020. The National Travel Survey reported that:

• 47% of people over 5 years had access to a pedal cycle, the same level as 2020
• less people (a decrease of 27%) cycled for part of their trip, and the average number of trips by cycle decreased by 27%
• following the peak of average miles cycled per person in 2020, average miles decreased by 37% in 2021 – bringing it back to pre-pandemic levels

Wave 5 of the National Travel Attitude Survey focused on cycling with:

• off-road and segregated cycle paths (55%), safer roads(53%) and well-maintained surfaces (49%) the most common measures that respondents said would encourage them to cycle more
• 64% supporting the creation of dedicated cycle lanes, at the expense of road space for cars

E-cycles are growing in popularity and make cycling accessible to more people, build users’ confidence and enable cycling in more challenging terrain.

The definition of e-cycle includes all electrically assisted pedal cycles, electric cycles, e-bikes and e-trikes.

E-cycles offer assistance only when the rider is pedalling and must comply with the electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs) regulations .

To be classified as an EAPC and not treated as a motor vehicle, when used on roads, a cycle fitted with an electric motor must comply with the requirements of the EAPC Regulations 1983. Specifically:

• it must be fitted with pedals that are capable of propelling it
• the maximum continuous rated power of the electric motor must not exceed 250 watts
• electrical assistance must cut off when the vehicle reaches 15.5 miles an hour

Cycle sharing

Cycle sharing describes any setting where cycles can be borrowed by the public or an employee (for workplace schemes).

Cycle sharing schemes can be an effective way to re-engage people in cycling – in CoMoUK’s 2021 bike share report nearly half of the 4,000 respondents said that joining a scheme was a catalyst to them cycling for the first time in at least a year, and 24% of them had not cycled for 5 years or more.

CoMoUK offers more information and guidance on cycle sharing schemes and identifies different scheme types:

• public – growing rapidly, these can include e-cycles. They integrate well with other modes of transport and are established in Belfast, Brighton, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and London and smaller locations such as Hereford, Guildford, and Stirling. Existing schemes in the UK can be found on CoMoUK’s map
• station-based – cycles are located at train stations and at various points across the town or city, at staffed or unstaffed hubs, docking stations or in a geo-fenced area. Some can be returned to any dock and others must be returned to the starting location
• free-floating – where cycles can be left anywhere within the urban boundary, often with guidance on not causing obstructions when parking
• cycle libraries – allow users to rent cycles for short periods and include cycle hubs in community locations (such as libraries and sports centres)
• peer-to-peer – where owners rent their cycle out for a fee
• pool cycles – generally housed at workplaces or community locations and borrowed by members of staff or the community. These schemes may share public facilities such as cycle storage

Implementing active travel: cycle sharing in Scotland

In 2020, the grant programme Paths for All, Smarter Choices, Smarter Places , in Edinburgh and Glasgow, worked to increase the uptake of cycle-sharing. This generated almost 18,000 new users and a 38% increase in trips in 3 months.

Users reported an improvement in their physical and mental health, and 10% went on to buy their own cycle. Further details are available from CoMoUK .

The benefits of active travel

Encouraging mode shift to walking, wheeling and cycling is one of the most cost-effective ways of reducing transport emissions, as outlined in the transport decarbonisation plan.

Walking, wheeling and cycling can decrease congestion, air and noise pollution, and both are linked to health and economic benefits.

Friends of the Earth produced a briefing on the role and benefits of segregated cycleways and e-cycles in urban areas. They report that improvements could deliver benefits for health, carbon and local economies, and make recommendations to maximise the effectiveness of funding.

Carbon emissions and air pollution

Sustrans, the national travel charity, estimates that 28,000 to 36,000 early deaths occur each year in the UK due to air pollution worsening heart and lung disease. They report that 80% of roadside nitrogen dioxide ( NO2 ) pollution is from road transport where limits are being broken.

As more of our short journeys (48% of all trips in urban towns and cities are under 2 miles) are walked or cycled, the carbon, air quality, noise and congestion benefits will be complemented by significant improvements in public health and wellbeing.

It is estimated that active travel can deliver between 1 MtCO2e and 6 MtCO2e savings from 2020 to 2050 in the transport decarbonisation plan.

In cycle share schemes, an average of 53kg of CO2e are saved per cycle share user each year according to CoMoUK’s 2021 bike share report .

Active travel can reduce the proportion of people driving children to school by up to 33%. Through projects such as the Big Pedal , 8.5 million car miles could be saved, resulting in a decrease of 2,500 tCO2e and reductions in NO2 levels.

Future active travel spending is expected to deliver £20 million to £100 million savings from air quality improvements as well as providing opportunities to improve green space and biodiversity.

Physical health

Physical inactivity costs the NHS up to £1 billion each year , with additional indirect costs of £8.2 billion according to a report by the Department for Transport ( DfT ) in 2014 on the economic benefits of walking and cycling . This report also highlights a link between adult obesity levels and travel behaviour as countries with the highest levels of cycling and walking generally have the lowest obesity rates.

In Growing Cycle Use , the Local Government Association ( LGA ) reports that if cycling rates were elevated to London levels across other UK cities, this would avoid at least 34,000 incidences of 8 life-threatening conditions between 2017 and 2040.

Regular commuting by cycle is linked to a lower risk of cancer or heart disease compared to other forms of transport. This may be partly due to cyclists and walkers being exposed to less air pollution than drivers and passengers inside vehicles on the same routes.

In the 2021 bike share report , CoMoUK found that 20% of cycle share scheme users said that if formed ‘all’ or a ‘major part’ of the physical activity they undertook.

Sustrans identifies further health benefits: a 3-mile commute will achieve recommended levels of activity each week.

The Energy Saving Trust reports that walking strengthens muscles, lungs, bones and joints.

Physical activity has also been shown to reduce incidences of heart disease, asthma, diabetes and cancer , as well as benefiting those with bad backs.

Mental health

Exercise can protect against anxiety and depression, according to the NHS . Any exercise is beneficial but exercising outdoors can have additional benefits.

Research in the British Medical Journal suggests that exercise can also help reduce stress . Guidance from the UK Chief Medical Officers’ on physical activity suggests that 30 minutes of moderate activity per day almost halve the odds of experiencing depression .

Gear Change states that completing 20 minutes of exercise each day cuts the risk of depression by 31% and increases worker productivity.

Economic benefits

Increasing active travel will reduce road congestion, particularly at peak times, leading to increased productivity and improved movement of goods and services. Sustrans estimates that congestion costs £10 billion per year in 2009 in urban areas, and that this cost could rise to £22 billion by 2025.

Living Streets’ Pedestrian Pound report outlined a range of economic benefits of walking, including that well-planned walking improvements can lead to a 40% increase in shopping footfall.

The LGA highlights how, after a Canadian council reallocated high street parking as bike lanes or cycle parking for a year, businesses benefitted from increased footfall (20% increase), spend (16% increase) and increased frequency of return visits (13% increase).

The Transport decarbonisation plan states that cycle manufacture, distribution, retail and sales contribute £0.8 billion per year to the economy and support around 22,000 jobs.

For organisations

As an employer, promoting active travel can help with corporate social responsibility, reduce the impact of business traffic (including commuting) locally and reduce demand for parking spaces.

Active travel can also improve the health and wellbeing of staff, increase productivity and motivation, and aid the recruitment and retention of skilled workers. More information is available on the Sustrans website .

Actions for local authorities

Local authorities are well placed to plan and provide space for inclusive active travel infrastructure and accompanying behavioural change programmes. For Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and combined authorities, doing so is part of their responsibilities on highways and road safety.

The LGA , as part of their decarbonising transport series, produced guidance on how authorities can grow cycle use. They note that measures will be most effective if implemented as part of a comprehensive active travel plan, integrated with wider transport, climate and housing strategies.

The final evaluation report of the Cycle City Ambition programme makes suggestions for local policymakers and practitioners on the most effective ways to increase active travel. It found that improving infrastructure is effective in increasing cycling and improving health equity, but requires significant investment and may take some time for impacts to be fully realised.

Sustrans can assist local authorities to develop active travel policy and guidance. It can also help promote active travel and provide feedback on walking and cycling schemes. Its website has sections for professionals, policy, and a resource library to enable authorities to make the case for active travel.

Living Streets can offer specialist advice and support for local authorities on enabling walking, including school and community engagement and infrastructure design.

Wheels for Wellbeing is a national charity that supports disabled people to access and enjoy cycling. As part of its Infrastructure for All campaign , it has highlighted the most significant barriers to cycling for disabled cyclists, including inaccessible cycling infrastructure and inadequate facilities to secure adapted cycles.

It recommends that authorities looking to install or upgrade cycling infrastructure follow LTN 1/20 – Cycle Infrastructure Design Guidance or the London Cycling Design Standards inclusive cycle concept.

Wheels for Wellbeing has published a Guide to Inclusive Cycling that promotes best practice in designing inclusive cycling infrastructure.

Implementing active travel: Greater Manchester

Using funding from the Cycle Cities Ambition programme, Greater Manchester built 3 miles of cycle lanes along one of the city’s busiest bus routes in 2017 .

Infrastructure installed included a mix of on-road and fully segregated cycle lanes and shared-use paths, along with 26 bus stop bypass lanes for cyclists.

The cycling measures were planned as part of a holistic design to improve the environment and maximise opportunities for cycling, walking and improved bus travel along the corridor.

The overall scheme included widened footways and improved crossing facilities for pedestrians and the removal of general traffic from a section of the road at certain times of day, improving bus journey time reliability. Mitigation measures to address traffic displacement onto parallel routes were also introduced.

Surveys found that in 2018, cycling 2 miles from the city centre was up 85% against a 2015 baseline.

For 2018, analysis identified more than a million journeys along one section of the route, saving an estimated 873.5 tonnes of CO2 .

1. Develop a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) are part of the 2017 cycling and walking investment strategy .

Although not mandatory, their aim is to help authorities in England take a strategic approach to improving conditions for walking and cycling and ensure that consideration is given to walking and cycling within local planning and transport policies.

Developing an LCWIP will help an authority make a strong case for future investment in active travel infrastructure. DfT has produced guidance and tools on developing an LCWIP .

The main outputs from an LCWIP are a:

• mapped network plan for walking, wheeling and cycling that identifies preferred routes, current and future travel patterns, and core zones for further development
• prioritised programme of infrastructure improvements for future investment in the short, medium and long term that contributes towards meeting broader local goals
• report that sets out the underlying analysis, including the barriers and enablers for walking, wheeling and cycling, and provides a narrative to support the improvements identified

As of September 2020, 45 of the 46 local authorities that took part in the original DfT LCWIP pilot scheme had submitted an LCWIP.

Cycling measures, infrastructure and networks identified in an LCWIP should follow the best practice guidance in Local Transport Note 1/20 on delivering high-quality cycling infrastructure.

Authorities can ensure that new infrastructure is inclusive by following the Wheels for Wellbeing guidance .

Wave 5 of the National Travel Attitudes Survey identified safety as a major concern among those who would like to cycle more often. One action to boost cycling is to provide dedicated road space for cyclists. The development of a network of high-quality, segregated cycling infrastructure, through inclusion in LCWIPs, will encourage growth.

The LGA notes that a mixture of measures is needed alongside segregated infrastructure to develop safe cycling networks , including vehicle speed and volume management.

To support the development of LCWIPs, Sustrans produced a report addressing 9 misconceptions about implementing cycling infrastructure.

For each myth, it provides evidence and sample messages to support a communications campaign and make the case for increased investment in active travel.

On 6 July 2022, DfT published the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS 2) , which covers the period between 2021 and 2025. The strategy includes new and updated objectives including:

• increasing levels of walking and walking to school
• doubling cycling
• increasing the proportion of journeys in towns and cities that are walked or cycled

It also sets out the funding in place to achieve these objectives.

2. Develop a Travel Demand Management Plan

LTAs in England can assist in encouraging active travel by developing a Travel Demand Management (TDM) plan.

These aim to manage pressure on a transport network under times of heightened demand and uncertainty. An effective TDM plan can contribute data to the development of an LCWIP, as well as strengthen the case for investment.

The DfT toolkit for LTAs on developing TDM plans , produced by Mott MacDonald, can be used to support LTAs in developing TDM plans following COVID-19.

The toolkit also allows authorities to manage other scenarios where there are pressures on the transport network or times of higher demand. The toolkit includes worked scenarios, a template action plan and sample questions to answer during the data-gathering exercise.

To be effective, TDM plans need:

• leadership, support and endorsement from all agencies within the LTA area
• clear identification of the problem and size of the challenge
• range of alternative travel options available
• strength of message to influence travel
• good communication channels to ensure messages reach their intended audience
• focused approach with audience and mode segmentation
• trust and credibility (from the audience) in the quality of information provided
• consistent message across all stakeholders built around the core narrative
• time and resources to implement the plan
• ability to track and monitor impacts

Implementing active travel: TDM in the West Midlands

Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) developed a TDM programme , including a strategy and delivery plan, in August 2020, in anticipation of pupils returning to school following COVID-19 lockdowns.

TfWM worked with districts and transport operators to implement measures designed to avoid a mismatch between travel demand and supply. Travel planners undertook surveys to identify schools in need of support and produced a toolkit and supporting communications material.

Implementing active travel: TDM in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire County Council developed a TDM plan to support modal shift from cars to active travel when schools returned from lockdown. It focused on behaviour change to raise awareness of transport options, particularly active travel and road safety.

A brand identity and core messaging were developed, along with a social media content plan to target specific demographics and signpost to resources such as Open North Yorkshire . Since then, 18% of trips have switched to non-car travel – 9% to active travel and 9% to public or school transport.

3. Plan for active travel

As planning and transport authorities, local authorities play a significant role in enabling residents to use active travel modes.

The government’s Transport decarbonisation plan contains a commitment to embed the transport decarbonisation principles in spatial planning and an ambition to make walking, cycling and public transport the first natural choice for journeys.

One of the commitments of Gear Change was the establishment of Active Travel England (ATE) . ATE launched as an executive agency in January 2022, with one of its stated objectives being to improve the provision of walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure.

ATE will be a statutory consultee in the spatial planning system, approve and inspect walking, wheeling and cycling schemes and support local authorities through the sharing of knowledge and good practice.

As the LGA reports, easy access to destinations such as employment, education, healthcare and leisure facilities, will encourage take-up , as will incorporating green routes, parks and water features into infrastructure. More direct and better connected routes and secure cycle parking at critical points to allow inter-modal journeys, help to extend the reach of cycling.

Sustrans’s Cycling for Everyone report looks at how to improve access to cycling and reduce inequality through improvements to governance, planning and decision-making. It includes recommendations on making cycling more inclusive encompassing scheme design, public engagement and user safety. Arup, Living Streets and Sustrans have also published a Walking for Everyone report, which provides information, advice and recommendations to make walking and wheeling more inclusive. Sustrans have also recently published the results of their Disabled Citizens’ Inquiry into active travel which provides a number of helpful recommendations for local authorities.

Implementing active travel: Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood

Sustrans worked with Manchester City Council, Bespoke Transport Consulting, Transport for Greater Manchester and local community groups as part of the Bee Network to create the first ‘active neighbourhood’ in the Levenshulme and Burnage area of South Manchester. An active neighbourhood aims to prioritise the movement of people over motor traffic.

This scheme intends to create an Active ‘filtered’ Neighbourhood, using planters to reduce traffic in the area and encourage residents to use other forms of sustainable transport – particularly walking and cycling.

Consultations are currently underway and the scheme is expected to be completed by March 2022.

Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood is now being managed by Manchester City Council.

4. Develop a behaviour change programme for active travel

Authorities can stimulate a shift to active travel for short journeys through effective communication, design and implementation of behaviour change interventions.

As local leaders, planning authorities, transport authorities and employers, authorities can demonstrate best practice by modelling approaches to increase walking, wheeling and cycling and promote the benefits of embedding active travel within staff engagement and carbon reduction plans.

Active Travel behaviour change interventions could include (but are not limited to):

• cycle and e-cycle hire schemes
• business grants to provide facilities or equipment
• travel planning
• cycling skills courses (for children, adults and families)
• walking and cycling engagement events
• school-focused initiatives
• measures to improve cycle security
• measures to tackle inclusion and accessibility barriers

Evidence shows that it is more effective to develop behaviour change and infrastructure projects together, rather than in isolation.

Developing and implementing a programme of behaviour change initiatives for staff and residents will enable use of new infrastructure and reduce reliance on cars.

Growing Cycle Use suggests that local authorities should embed cycling in local culture through integration into school, workplaces and towns.

Designing inclusive approaches that take advantage of, and build on, existing programmes that have high value for money, such as Living Streets’ Walk to School Outreach and Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival , and engaging with national events, such as Bike Week or Walk to School week, can drive uptake. Initiatives targeted at school-age children especially would help to create a local active travel culture from an early age.

Implementing active travel: gamification to encourage active travel

Research by Cardiff Metropolitan University has highlighted the benefit of combining infrastructure for active travel with novel behaviour change techniques. Beat the Street is an active travel engagement platform that encourages players to use active travel to move around their area, swiping their cards at consecutive locations to earn points.

Evaluation conducted by researchers on levels of active travel before and after intervention found that the number of players doing less than 30 minutes of activity per week decreased by 7% and those reporting more than 150 minutes of activity increased by 13%. The study also reported 53% fewer cars and vans in the morning commute and 33% fewer cars in the afternoon.

For further information on Beat the Street, contact [email protected] .

Cycle training

Providing cycle training for staff and residents can enable greater uptake of cycling through increasing confidence and skill of participants.

The national standard for cycle training describes the skills and understanding needed to cycle safely and responsibly and to enable others to cycle. Any cycle training to support safe cycling on the road should be based on the national standard.

Bikeability cycle training is the DfT -approved and funded method of delivering national standard training. It is a practical training programme, enabling trainees to cycle safely and confidently on today’s roads and learn basic cycle maintenance skills. It must be delivered by trained and registered instructors, registered and quality assured by the Bikeability Trust .

Your local authority may have an in-house team of registered Bikeability instructors or hold a contract with an independent training provider. Contracts are usually managed by road safety, active or sustainable travel teams.

Outside London, DfT provides funding to local highway authorities to deliver Bikeability in schools and the community. Grants for Bikeability training are managed by the Bikeability Trust.

In London, cycle training is funded by Transport for London (TfL) and the boroughs. Scotland and Wales have separate arrangements.

In some circumstances, DfT -funded Bikeability is managed and arranged via a school games organiser ( SGO ) host school, rather than by the local authority. The list of SGOs in receipt of Bikeability grants is available on the Bikeability website.

While Bikeability is primarily associated with children and the majority of Bikeability training is delivered through the school’s programme, the scheme also includes modules aimed at adults and family groups.

Since the programme started in 2007, more than 3 million children have received Bikeability training, and DfT and the Bikeability Trust are working together to develop plans so that every child and adult can take up an offer of training.

Promoting active travel to work

Authorities can lead by example by promoting active travel to their staff and working with local businesses to promote active travel to employees.

Research carried out by the behavioural insights team ( BIT ), working with DfT , sets out to develop policy options to convert high levels of cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic into more long-term travel habits .

The A Moment of Change: Guidance for local authorities on promoting an active return to work focuses on the cycle to work policy option from the BIT research, and provides a comprehensive toolkit to support local authorities in the design, implementation and evaluation of behaviour change programmes that promote an active return to work.

It covers developing, funding and choosing a model for a behaviour change programme, as well as suggested initiatives, case study examples of different interventions and resources to help build a business case and important messages.

Suggested actions from the guidance include:

• ensure your policies support and promote active travel where appropriate
• undertake a travel survey to find out how your staff currently travel and the barriers to active travel or public transport use
• consider developing staff travel plans to identify practical lower-carbon commuting options
• provide safe and secure cycle storage at your offices
• provide e-cycle charging to encourage those with a slightly longer commute to cycle
• provide access to showers for those who choose to run or cycle in. This can be in your office, or at a nearby leisure centre
• appoint an active travel champion. They could organise a bike buddy scheme, coordinate participation in active travel challenges or organise bike maintenance sessions
• sign up to a cycle to work scheme, such as Cyclescheme or the Green Commute Initiative . These are a form of employee benefits that allow staff to purchase cycles and accessories at a reduced cost, which is reclaimed through an employee’s pay

See the Sustrans website for more suggestions.

Tools and funding

Numerous tools from government and research bodies are available to assist local authorities in planning, implementing and assessing active travel infrastructure. They include:

• Active Travel Portal brings together information for local authorities, including case studies, links to documents, policies and research
• Healthy Streets Design Check : published by DfT to support authorities in applying LTN1/20 guidance. The tool measures existing streets and proposed designs to determine how healthy they are
• Propensity to Cycle : a strategic planning tool to help transport planners and policymakers prioritise investments and interventions to promote cycling
• Cycling Infrastructure Prioritisation Toolkit : a collection of tools that provides an evidence base for prioritising infrastructure to promote cycling
• Place-Based Carbon Calculator : estimates a per capita carbon footprint for each lower layer super output area (LSOA), as well as showing roughly 15-minute travel times using different modes
• Active Travel Toolbox : a collection of guides, tools and case studies to help local authorities deliver walking and cycling schemes in their area
• Active Mode Appraisal Toolkit : a spreadsheet-based tool for assessing the overall benefits of walking and cycling interventions. DfT has produced guidance on its use
• The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) published an introductory guide to 20-minute neighbourhoods for local authorities in March 2021

Active Travel Portal has a guide to the funding options available to local authorities, including annual allocations that can support active travel, as well as competitive funds.

The UK government’s capability fund was announced in January 2023 and allocated revenue funding to all local authorities (outside London) to enable more walking and cycling in their local areas through developing LTN 1/20 compliant infrastructure plans and undertaking behaviour change activity.

Guidance issued to all authorities as part of the capability fund allocation highlights the need to monitor and evaluate the impact of schemes delivered through the fund. Authorities are required to report their progress and share the findings of their evaluation with Active Travel England.

The capability fund has been followed by a capital grants fund , allocated to authorities based on the quality of the plans developed.

Funding for Bikeability Cycle training in schools and the community in England (outside London) is available from DfT and training is delivered by Bikeability.

Local authorities agree their funding allocation and training activities with the Bikeability Trust at the start of the calendar year.

Any local authority wishing to discuss their allocation should contact the Bikeability Trust in the first instance.

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Mount Ruang Erupts in Indonesia, Spewing Lava Thousands of Feet Into the Sky

Hundreds of earthquakes were detected in the weeks preceding the eruption of the volcano in North Sulawesi province. Hundreds of people were evacuated.

By Christine Hauser

Mount Ruang, a volcano in Indonesia, erupted on Tuesday, spewing fiery lava and ash thousands of feet into the night sky and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people in the North Sulawesi province, according to the authorities and local news reports.

The volcano erupted at about 7:19 p.m. local time, Antara, the national news agency, reported. The country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said on Wednesday that more than 800 people in nearby villages were displaced by the eruption, many using ferries and taking shelter in churches and community centers.

The authorities said supplies such as mats, blankets, cleaning materials, and tents were needed, and that more shelters might be opening for people fleeing the volcano.

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago nation. It is spread across what is known as the Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates clash under the surface of the Pacific Ocean and spawn earthquakes and eruptions from volcanoes.

Mount Ruang is a stratovolcano , or a steep, conical volcano that has built up over years in layers from explosive eruptions of lava, rock fragments, ash and other properties.

“It is in a part of the world where there are a lot of active volcanoes,” said Dr. Tracy K.P. Gregg , who chairs the geology department at the University at Buffalo.

Its last major eruption was in 2002, when the column of lava and ash that it spewed reached up to 17 miles, Dr. Gregg said.

She said the volcano in 2002 measured 4, a “large” volcano on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, a scale used to measure the strength of an eruption by looking at several factors, such as duration, ash volume and plume height. Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 measured 6 on the index. Mount St. Helens in the United States in 1980 measured 5.

“So it is a little bit smaller than that,” she said of Mount Ruang. Right now, it is not as violent as the previous eruption, she added, but the volcano cannot be fully assessed while it is in progress.

More than 300 volcanic earthquakes were detected over a period of at least two weeks preceding the eruption of Mount Ruang.

It is not immediately clear why the volcano erupted when it did. “Every volcano has its own personality,” she said.

In the past few years, several volcanoes in Indonesia have erupted. In December, 2023, the bodies of 11 hikers were found on the slopes of Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra, after an eruption that spewed an ash column of nearly 3,000 meters — about 10,000 feet high.

In December 2022, more than 1,900 people were evacuated from the area surrounding Mount Semeru as it erupted. In an eruption there the previous December , more than 50 people were killed and hundreds more were injured.

Christine Hauser is a reporter, covering national and foreign news. Her previous jobs in the newsroom include stints in Business covering financial markets and on the Metro desk in the police bureau. More about Christine Hauser

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Official statistics show bicycling stagnation in england.

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A cyclist rides her bike along a designated bicycle lane on a street in London, England. (Photo by ... [+] Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

“We aim to double cycling activity,” boasted the Westminister government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy of 2017 . The target was due to be reached by next year. However, official data sets released today show a distinct lack of progress in making England more attractive for cycling (and walking).

Mid-year estimates from the National Travel Survey for the year ending June 2023 show that the distance traveled per person by walking or wheeling has hardly changed since 2003 and the total number of trips people take on foot has dropped over the same period.

The National Travel Survey also shows that although the distance traveled by cycling has seen some signs of growth over the decade, the average distance cycled per person is the same as in 2019.

Cycling traffic levels in England, to December 2023, from Cycling Traffic Index, April 2024.

In the separate Cycling Traffic Index , it’s revealed that the gains made during Covid-19 in getting people out on their bicycles are falling. Levels of cycling dropped by 29% between March 2021 and December 2023. Cycling traffic levels have increased 15.5% over the last ten years but they are still far below where they need to be to achieve the government’s target of doubling cycling use.

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The Active Lives Survey from Sport England paints a more positive picture—there are two million more adults getting active regularly through sport and physical activity than in 2016—but digging into the figures shows there’s a growing divide in activity levels based on where someone lives. Last year, 33.7% of people in the most deprived neighborhoods were considered inactive compared to 20.5% of those in the least deprived.

The number of people considered active in the most deprived areas has dropped by 2.5% in the seven years. The West Midlands and the North East have seen hardly any change in the numbers of active people, for instance.

The Active Lives Survey shows that between November 2022 and November 2023, 63.4% of the adult population met the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of doing 150 minutes, or more, of moderate-intensity physical activity a week. This figure is largely unchanged from 12 months ago when 63.1% were active but means that, compared to when Sport England first ran the survey between November 2015 and November 2016, there are two million more active adults, an increase of 1.3%.

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