Bicycles have become the most popular means of transport on the streets of London, surpassing cars and private hire vehicles.
The figures are contained in a report by the City of London Department of the Environment. And in this way it is the most important means of transport in the English capital.
The report notes that there was "relatively little change in the overall composition of vehicle traffic between 2019 and 2022, with the exception of bicycles."
Bicycles had already stood out in 2019 as the most popular mode of transport on city roads during rush hour, but the 2022 traffic counts - carried out, like the previous ones, in the fall of each year - represent the first time who have achieved the number one spot all day.
At the most recent traffic count, conducted on November 23 last year, all-day motor vehicle volumes were around 80% of pre-pandemic levels, while all-day cyclist volumes the day stood at 102% of those observed in 2019.
Meanwhile, the number of pedestrians stood at 63%, although the report acknowledged that walking remains "by far the main way people travel on city streets."
“As in 2019, cyclists in London accounted for the most important vehicular mode on city streets,” the report continues.
The impact of the pandemic, which has led many financial district employers to encourage their employees to work from home, is also clearly shown in a table included in the report. There it is shown how the different modes of travel in 2022 compare with the figures observed in 2019, with only the bicycle showing growth.
It is not clear why cycling alone is increasing the trend, although the reasons may be reduced levels of motorized traffic and improvements in infrastructure, which have prompted more people to commute.
Some cyclists may have purchased a bike for the first time during the pandemic and chose it to get around rather than public transportation.
The availability of rental bicycles, including electric ones, has also increased in London, to replace, for example, walking the final part of the journey from a railway terminal to the workplace.
In recent years, the City of London has sought to make its streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians, in recognition of the large numbers of people who walk from public transport hubs to work, or go out to eat something at lunchtime.
In its most prominent intervention to protect vulnerable road users, which is also linked to the targets of its Climate Action Plan, London City Council launched a plan in 2017 to exclude all vehicles, except bicycles and buses from various areas of the city.
