The City of London Corporation has published the City Streets 2025 Summary Report, which indicates that the city is ahead of schedule by six years on three of its cycling goals.
According to data from this report, cycling has increased by 70% since 2017, but the original goal was a 50% increase by 2030. During the same period, motor traffic has reduced by 34%, surpassing the target of 25% by 2030, and freight traffic is also down 21%, well ahead of the 15% target for 2030.
Official counts in October saw a record high of 139,000 people cycling in one day across 30 locations, a 50,000 increase from 89,000 in 2022. This marks the largest increase in cycling – over 50% – since records began in 1999.
There are nearly double the number of cycles than cars on the streets, with cycling now making up 56% of all traffic in peak hours (8-10am and 5-7pm). Just over half (60%) of this increase is due to personal cycling, but the presence of dockless cycles has quadrupled since 2022, now accounting for one-in-six bikes on City streets. According to new data, there has also been an increase in footfall by 8% since the last count in 2022, with active travel now taking up three quarters of ‘all observed travel activity’ – increasing to 85% during the peak hours.
This news follows an announcement from Transport for London (TfL) in November of last year that cycling journeys in Greater London have increased by 26% since 2019, with those in central London increasing by 12% since 2023.
London’s walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, said: ‘Enabling more people to cycle improves health, cuts congestion and helps the environment – so it’s key to the Mayor’s vision for transport.
‘I’m really excited about this increase in cycling across the City of London, which is great progress towards our goal of increasing cycling journeys to 1.6 million by 2030.
‘The network of cycleways across the capital is continuing to grow, helping unlock safer and more accessible cycling to even more Londoners, supporting the Mayor’s aim for a greener, safer London for all.’
In 2023/2024, TfL opened 20 new cycleway routes, which it says has helped connect a further 600,000 Londoners to the cycle network.
Chairman of the planning and transportation committee at the City of London Corporation, Shravan Joshi, also said: ‘As footfall across the City of London continues to rise, it’s vital our Transport Strategy ensures that it is a safer and more pleasant environment for everyone to travel through.
‘We know this work is making a difference. Our streets are safer with the latest figures showing the lowest number of serious injuries on our streets since records began, but we are not taking our eye off the ball, as there is more work to do.
‘Our air quality is improving, too. When we first published our strategy in 2019, 15 locations across the City exceeded our air quality objective for toxic nitrogen dioxide. Last year this figure was down to two.
Image credit: Shutterstock @IR Stone
