Supplementary memorandum from Department
for Transport (RS 01E)
NOTE ON WALKING AND CYCLING STATISTICS
NATIONAL TRAVEL
SURVEY (NTS) TECHNICAL
NOTE
A trip is a one way course of travel
having a single main purpose. Walking/cycling trips are those
where walking/cycling is the main mode of travel in terms of distance.
A trip consists of one or more stages, where a new stage
is defined when there is a change in the form or transport or
a change of vehicle requiring a separate ticket. Distance travelled
figures are based on stage distance and therefore include walking/cycling
as part of any trip.
Cycling figures are relatively volatile due
to the relatively small number of cycling trips recorded by the
NTS.
The results presented here cover Great Britain
unless otherwise stated.
LEVELS OF
WALKING AND
CYCLING BY
AGE AND
GENDER
There is some variation in the level of walking
and cycling between males and females and between different age
groups.
TRIPS, DISTANCE AND TIME SPENT TRAVELLING
ON FOOT, 2006
Children tend to travel further, make more trips
and spend more time travelling on foot that the average person.
Women aged 17-29 walk further, on average, than other
groups.
Among adults aged 17-59, women do more walking than
men but this pattern is reversed among older ages (60+).
TRIPS DISTANCE AND TIME SPENT TRAVELLING
ON A BICYCLE, 2005-06
Levels of cycling are much higher among males
than females.
In terms of average number of trips and time
spent travelling, cycling is highest among boys aged 11-16. However,
the average distance travelled by bicycle among this age group
is similar to the distance travelled by men aged 30-59, who tend
to make fewer trips but cycle faster, and further per trip.
TRENDS IN WALKING AND CYCLING BY AGE AND
GENDER
Over the last 10 years, the average number of
trips made on foot has declined by around 15%, although this trend
has levelled off in recent years. Declines in walking trip rates
have been observed among both men and women.
TRENDS IN TRIPS TRAVELLED ON FOOT: MALES
TRENDS IN TRIPS TRAVELLED ON FOOT: FEMALES
Overall, the average distance travelled on foot
has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years.
There has been an increase in the average distance
travelled on foot by boys under 17 and a decrease among men aged
60+. Among women, there is less variation between different age
groups.
TRENDS IN DISTANCE TRAVELLED ON FOOT: MALES
TRENDS IN DISTANCE TRAVELLED ON FOOT: FEMALES
The average number of trips by bicycle has declined
by around 15% in the last ten years while the average distance
travelled has fallen by over just 10%. These declines have levelled
off in recent years.
Most of the decline in cycling is accounted
for by a fall in cycling among children and young adults (11-29
year olds). Levels of cycling have remained fairly stable among
older adults (30-59 year olds).
TRENDS IN TRIPS TRAVELLED ON BICYCLE
TRENDS IN DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY BICYCLE
TRENDS IN
DISTANCE WALKED
AND CYCLED
IN LONDON
COMPARED WITH
THE REST
OF GREAT
BRITAIN
Trends in distance walked have been reasonably
stable in London and in the rest of Great Britain.
However, the trend in cycling is different in
London, which has experienced an marked increase in cycling since
2002.
TRENDS IN DISTANCE WALKED, LONDON & REST
OF GB
TRENDS IN DISTANCE CYCLED, LONDON & REST
OF GB
ROAD TRAFFIC
TRENDS IN
CYCLING
INDEXED BILLION VEHICLE KM TRAVELLED BY BICYCLE,
1996-2006
Data on cycling from road traffic statistics
suggest there was an increase in cycling over the 10 years up
to 2006.
Technical note:
Traffic data are likely to present a more reliabile
picture of the overall change in cycling over time than the NTS
but they are still based on small sample sizes and should therefore
also be interpreted with caution. When comparing NTS and traffic
trends, it is worth noting that there are differences in coverage
between these sources. Also, the NTS data is presented in terms
of an average rate per person whereas the traffic data covers
total vehicle km; the latter therefore incorporates population
growth over time. The NTS data are presented as 3 year rolling
averages whereas traffic data are presented for single years and
therefore appear more volatile, as well as showing annual fluctations
due to the weather.
| 
