Cycling in London continues to rise, with 20% increase since pre-pandemic

Over 70,000 more journeys by bike were made daily in London over the past year, according to Transport for London (TfL) data, with the number of journeys taken by bike increasing by 20% since before the pandemic.

TfL's annual Travel in London report, published on Wednesday, shows that the number of bike trips had increased from 1.19 million a day last year to 1.26 million this year– a rise of 6.3%, and up a fifth on 2019.

4.5% of all journeys in London are now taken by bike, however the report says that cycling levels in the middle of London are "subdued" due to fewer people commuting by bike due to flexible working.

A total of 24% of Londoners reported having cycled in the last year, though women and black and minority ethnic Londoners continue to be under-represented.

Will Norman, London's walking and cycling commissioner, said that he and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan are committed to "boosting this further".

“I’m delighted to see the increase in cycling and walking journeys in London continue for yet another year," Norman said. "The Mayor and I are committed to boosting this further. We will continue to expand the network of cycleways and make more junctions and crossings safer. 

"We’re determined to build a cleaner, greener and more prosperous London for everyone, and investing in sustainable transport options is a vital part of that."

Mariam Draaijer, the chief executive of JoyRiders, a group founded in London which seeks to get more women, especially from ethnic minorities and deprived communities, on bikes, said that infrastructure was needed to keep the level of cycling rising.

"Women should feel safe when cycling and are more likely to do so if they have good infrastructure or can avoid busier main roads," she said.

“Having safe and high-quality infrastructure makes it more likely that women can confidently cycle on London roads seeing it as a real alternative to other transport methods such as cars or public transport. 

"With more infrastructure to come and the support of community groups such as JoyRiders that help women and other Londoners to start riding a bike, cycling is becoming the transport of choice as it’s not just affordable, but also great for physical and mental wellbeing.” 

Simon Munk, from the London Cycling Campaign, said: “The latest data makes it clearer than ever that London loves cycling. “Around a quarter of Londoners cycle, around another quarter want to. 

"These figures show that the number of cycling journeys on any day is about a third of all Tube journeys or a quarter of all bus journeys – this is a mainstream mode of transport used by a wider and wider range of Londoners.”