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Cycle usage rising according to DfT stats – but motor vehicle traffic hits all-time high London cyclist in traffic (picture copyright Simon MacMichael).PNG

Cycle usage rising according to DfT stats – but motor vehicle traffic hits all-time high

Same number of cyclists but they’re riding further
by Alex Bowden
Sat, Apr 29, 2017 12:29
6

According to the latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT), pedal cycles travelled 3.5 billion miles on roads in 2016, 6.3 per cent further than in the previous year, and over a third more than 20 years ago. However, the year also represented an all-time high for motor vehicle traffic.

Cycling reached a similar level to 2014, which was the highest figure since 1987, but less than a quarter of the 14.7 billion miles ridden in 1949. The lowest annual cycle mileage on Great Britain’s roads was seen in 1973, at 2.3 billion miles.

In its report, the DfT refers to National Travel Survey (NTS) data which indicates that average cycle mileage per person per year rose by 37 per cent between 2002 and 2015 (including both people who cycle and those who do not). When only considering those who cycled at least once a week, the average distance grew at a similar rate.

The report therefore suggests that people who cycle have been cycling further, but the proportion of people cycling has not changed significantly. NTS figures on cycling frequency appear to back this up, showing that the proportion of people cycling at least once a week stayed roughly constant between 2003 and 2015.

The DfT road traffic statistics report the activity of cyclists on public highways and on cycle paths and footpaths adjacent to them. Four-fifths of road cycle miles ridden in 2016 were on minor roads, but the largest proportional increases in cycle traffic were on ‘A’ roads.

Set against this, motor vehicle traffic hit 323.7 billion vehicle miles travelled – a record level. BikeBiz reports that car use was up by 2.2 percent year on year, while light commercial vehicle (van) use is growing quicker still, up 4.7 per cent.

In September, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) described the increase in van traffic as a ‘ticking accident time bomb,’ pointing out that no additional test or qualification is required to drive one. The organisation also cited statistics indicating that van drivers are almost twice as likely as car drivers to use hand-held mobile phones at the wheel.

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Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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6 comments

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FluffyKittenofT... | 7 years ago
3 likes

This thread is a good example of how even people normally OK with numbers tend to become innumerate if they have strong pre-existing beliefs they want confirmed (something that has been demonstrated experimentally before).

Most obviously there is the absurdity of taking figures relating to a national picture where there are no 'cycle super highways' and using them to claim that segregation doesn't work.

In reality of course the figures are more supportive of the opposite claim, as the one place in the country where the number of cyclists has risen is also the one place where segregated infrastructure has been put in (though I wouldn't claim that to be conclusive proof the other way, as there are probably other things special about London).
Generally the feeble nature of the supposed 'cycling boom', especially outside London, just emphasises the hopelessness of trying to get more people cycling via 'training' and 'safety equipment'.

But there's also the failure of anyone to notice that the population has risen during the time period concerned. Motor traffic, in terms of milage, has risen, according to the linked report, by 4% since 2006. And cycle traffic by 23% (from a dismally low starting point, mind). But the UK population has risen by 6% over that same period.

(It's reminiscent of the claims that almost every government makes, every year, about 'more people in work than ever before', while not mentioning that's mainly because there are more people in the country than ever before).

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 7 years ago
1 like

FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

This thread is a good example of how even people normally OK with numbers tend to become innumerate if they have strong pre-existing beliefs they want confirmed (something that has been demonstrated experimentally before). Most obviously there is the absurdity of taking figures relating to a national picture where there are no 'cycle super highways' and using them to claim that segregation doesn't work. In reality of course the figures are more supportive of the opposite claim, as the one place in the country where the number of cyclists has risen is also the one place where segregated infrastructure has been put in (though I wouldn't claim that to be conclusive proof the other way, as there are probably other things special about London). Generally the feeble nature of the supposed 'cycling boom', especially outside London, just emphasises the hopelessness of trying to get more people cycling via 'training' and 'safety equipment'. But there's also the failure of anyone to notice that the population has risen during the time period concerned. Motor traffic, in terms of milage, has risen, according to the linked report, by 4% since 2006. And cycle traffic by 23% (from a dismally low starting point, mind). But the UK population has risen by 6% over that same period. (It's reminiscent of the claims that almost every government makes, every year, about 'more people in work than ever before', while not mentioning that's mainly because there are more people in the country than ever before).

Please come up with some numbers for London (or other segregated areas), as in incident rates per million miles travelled through those sections before and after, also include motorvehicle rates for the same areas.

Have they dropped, if so by how much, how much of that drop (if any) is down to other modifications on those routes.

As i stated, I'm not against some segregation if done to a very high standard but frankly that in london is average at best. then we have the problem of being able to roll out segregation across the whole country, in every city and sizeable town just like the netherlands, add to that segregated routes that run alongside every single A road. it simply is not going to happen even in 50 years, meanwhile modifying driver behaviour and restricting motor vehicle use at certain times or certain areas will continue to have greater impact than the minute amount of segregation that is built to the highest standards that are required to change modal share.

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Valbrona | 7 years ago
0 likes

I really look forward to the day when people stop thinking in terms of 'increasing the number of cyclists' and instead start thinking about how to drastically reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.

The headline for this story says it all ... 'motor vehicle traffic at an all time high'.

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dafyddp | 7 years ago
3 likes

I'm sure it's a long way off, but I'm sure a big chunk of the solution lays with switching to driverless cars. If all cars were driverless and electric, they would become part of the infrastructure itself and integrated directly into traffic management systems. Remove the driver's ego and everyone benefits. Cyclists would be far better protected through collision-detection technology and dense traffic routed more efficiently. Going to take a long, long time befire drivers are convinced they need to let go of the steering wheel though.

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Bill H | 7 years ago
5 likes

In a London context I am not surprised that those already willing to cycle are cycling further. Once you start riding to work (pocketing over a grand in tube fares each year) it's not a massive leap to ride to the shops, the football, etc. At which point the savings on not running a car will pay for a hell of a lot of taxis and still leave you better off.

Once you leave London I am not sure that the sums are so positive. Maybe it's enough to spare the need for second car, but its outside my experience. 

As regards infrastructure, my only serious bike accident was when a stoned driver drove thru' me at a red light. Had there been a segregated lane I would not have been 'sharing' that space, so I am all in favour.

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BehindTheBikesheds | 7 years ago
4 likes

So up from 2015 but then 2015 saw a drop of 10% from 2014 so the 2016 figure is same as 2014 which was 3.5Billion http://road.cc/content/news/190673-cycle-traffic-down-and-motor-traffic-..., in the meantime cycling injuries have gone up considerably.

Modal share of cycling as a % of ALL miles travelled both urban and rural in the netherlands is 27%, almost the same as we had in the UK in 1949. when you consider how much less the population was back then it just shows you how far cycling has declined from its heyday.

unless we have drastic change to restrict motorvehicle use and improve safety on roads modal share of cycling will not change other than a few percentage points.

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