Cycling FAQs

How has bicycle usage developed over the years?

Cycling was much more popular in previous years, in 1949 14.7 billion miles were travelled by bike. This has reduced significantly over the years, in 2014 only 3.25 billion miles were cycled. However cycle use has been on the increase over the last few years with a consistent rise in cycle traffic every year since 2008. There was a 3.8% increase in miles cycled from 2013 to 2014.

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How do the levels of cycling in Britain compare to those in other European member states?

• According to a survey by the European government, only 4% of British respondents cycle daily. Along with Luxembourg and Spain, this is the lowest percentage of all European member states, except for Cyprus (2%) and Malta (1%).
• In contrast, the survey report says: “Approximately four in ten respondents in the Netherlands (43%) cycle daily. Roughly three in ten respondents in Denmark (30%) and Finland (28%) also cycle daily.”
• In Britain, only about 2-3% of children cycles to school, but in the Netherlands, around 49% of primary school children cycle to and from school, 37% walk and only 14% are brought and collected by car. In secondary school, the cycling share is even higher.

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What is the ETA Trust doing to promote cycling?

As a part of our Back on a Bike project, we have joined forces with Kingston borough council to provide cycle road shows in connection with their mini-Holland project. The cycle road shows reach out to those who have not cycled in years and aims to get them back into riding regularly. The trust is also a member of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, supporting their work and offering ideas to get more people cycling.

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