The Walking and Cycling Index

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 is the new name for 'Bike Life'.

It's the biggest ever survey of walking, wheeling and cycling in 18 urban areas across the UK and Ireland.

And this is the first year walking and wheeling has been included.

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.

One woman in a helmet standing with a bike and another walking

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.

In the Walking and Cycling Index cities

Up to 2.6 million

cars are taken off the road every day by walking and cycling

440,000 tonnes

of greenhouse gas emissions saved every year by walking and cycling

70%

of residents think that fewer cars parked on the pavement would help them walk or wheel more

Only 56%

of disabled people feel welcome when walking and wheeling in their neighbourhood

Gordon sitting in his mobility scooter with a basket of shopping

Gordon, Bristol

I’d love to see a big improvement in the environment for pedestrians in Westbury-on-Trym, which would mean wider, better pavements, getting rid of obstructions and so on.

We know that if something is improved for disabled accessibility, it generally improves things for everyone.

Walking and Cycling Index UK Aggregated report front cover

Download the UK aggregated report

This report aggregates data from 17 of the Walking and Cycling Index urban areas.

Download the pdf report

Read the text-only version of the report

You can also read how the data was captured and analysed in our methodology paper.

Explore the 18 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 urban area and download the report.

You can also find a full list of the urban areas we worked with below the map.



Click on your city or region to download the report

Aberdeen Greater Manchester
Belfast Inverness
Bristol Liverpool City Region
Cardiff Perth
Dublin Metropolitan Area Southampton City Region
Dundee Stirling
Edinburgh Tower Hamlets
Glasgow Tyneside
Greater Cambridge West Midlands
Naeema and her daughter smiling next to a bike

Naaema, ride leader for Cycle Sisters

For me, cycling is a recent thing, but I’ve done a lot in a short space of time. I’ve become a ride leader for Cycle Sisters, a cycling group set up to encourage Muslim women to cycle.

Cycling has helped me recover from illness and bereavement.

It’s not just about learning how to cycle. It’s about self-belief, resilience, achievement.

  

Take a look at our previous UK-wide Bike Life reports

  

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