The Walking and Cycling Index
Discover the biggest-ever survey of walking, wheeling and cycling across 23 cities in the UK and Ireland.
The Walking and Cycling Index supports leaders of cities and towns to understand and improve walking, wheeling and cycling across the UK and Ireland.
It provides high-quality evidence to help bring our neighbourhoods back to life and ensure walking and cycling are attractive and accessible for everyone.
What is the Walking and Cycling Index?
The Walking and Cycling Index, formerly known as 'Bike Life' is the biggest ever survey of walking, wheeling and cycling.
It looks at what people think about active travel in 23 urban areas across the UK and Ireland.
Each city reports on the progress made towards making walking, wheeling and cycling more attractive, everyday ways to travel.
Since our first reports in 2015, this data has informed policy decisions, justified investment and enabled cities to develop more ambitious action plans for walking, wheeling and cycling.
On the Walking and Cycling Index cities
Up to 2.3 million
cars are taken off the road every day by walking and cycling
420,000 tonnes
of greenhouse gas emissions saved every year by walking and cycling
36%
of people often use a car as they feel they have no choice
56%
of people support shifting investment from road building to funding options for walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport
James, Birmingham
Riding my bike gives me a sense of freedom, because I know when I should leave to get to school on time, and I don’t have to worry about the buses being on time.
The protected cycle lanes give me a safer environment to cycle along than the road, without the risks of cars passing too closely, especially with the designated crossings.
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Download the UK aggregated report
The Walking and Cycling Index is the clearest picture of walking, wheeling and cycling across the country.
This report aggregates data from 18 of the Index cities.
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Children's Walking and Cycling Index
Children's Walking and Cycling IndexWe've created the first ever Children’s Walking and Cycling Index, designed to understand the behaviours, barriers and attitudes affecting how children walk, wheel and cycle in the UK.
Explore the 23 Walking and Cycling Index reports across the UK and Ireland
Click on the grey shape of your city or region to find out more about the study in that area and to download the report.
You can also find a full list of the areas we worked with below the map.
Click on your city or region to download the report
Joanne, Belfast
My walking can be bad because of cerebral palsy, but when I’m on my trike, it’s like my cerebral palsy just disappears.
I had been on anti-depressants for 9 years, but within two months of getting my trike, I was off the medication. It’s life-changing.
I’ve named my new e-trike ‘Joy’, because that is what it gives me.
It can be tricky because there aren’t many good cycle lanes. The lanes that are there are usually too narrow for my trike, so I either go on the footpath or the road.
The Walking and Cycling Index Data Tool
We've launched a breakthrough tool that uniquely analyses localised data on public behaviours and attitudes towards walking and cycling.
Our Walking and Cycling Index dashboards allow you to explore and compare data in much more detail.
Find out more about the Walking and Cycling Index Data Tool and explore the dashboards.
Take a look at our previous UK-wide Walking and Cycling Index and Bike Life reports
Our methods and data sources
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