Cycling News

London now sees 20,500 new cycle journeys per day

On the first working day of Bike Week, Transport for London has revealed that since it was founded in 2000 there has been a 91 percent increase in the number of people cycling on London’s major roads

The number of people cycling in London increased for the sixth year running last year, even though last summer was the wettest since 1912.

Overall, TfL estimates that there are now in excess of 500,000 cycle journeys made every day in the Capital.

Between March 2007 and March 2008, cycling on London’s major roads grew by a further 4.5 per cent, with an estimated 20,500 more cycle journeys being made in the Capital every day.

Overall, TfL estimates that there are now in excess of 500,000 cycle journeys made every day in the Capital. This sounds good, but it's still only two percent of all journeys made in London.

The Mayor and TfL are investing £55m in cycling this year – up from £36 million last year, and a ten-fold increase on the £5.5 million spent on cycling in 2000. This money is being spent on improved cycle parking facilities, education, events and cycle promotion.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said:

"I'm delighted that a growing number of people - like me - are choosing to cycle around London, and great strides have been made. But the overall number is still too low, which suggest that many Londoners need further encouragement to take it up.

"Alongside TfL, the boroughs, and business, I am exploring a range of options to make cycling safer, more practical and more attractive. £2m is to be invested in new secure parking facilities, and alongside the forthcoming bicycle hire scheme and other ambitious initiatives in the near future I'm hoping to inspire a whole new generation of cyclists."

Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London said:

“Despite one of the wettest summers on record, Londoners’ passion for cycling continues to grow. A 91 per cent growth in cycling levels in just eight years is a great achievement, but we are working to build on this steady growth and improve conditions for cyclists still further."

Published Monday 16 June 2008