Cycling numbers are up in London!
It’s not all good news, because we’re not on track for net zero or Vision Zero. The right direction of travel, but not fast enough (insert joke about your least favourite transport mode here), in other words.
One interesting thing to note in here is congestion is down since the introduction of LTNs and the latest wave of bike lanes: the opposite of what opponents claim but in line with all the other evidence I’ve seen. This might not be because of the bike lanes or the LTNs, but still worth noting.
Because people can’t afford transport and/or they’re working from home more and fewer cycling commute days of more palatable perhaps?
It could be that it’s more normalised, or that post-Covid people don’t want to share public transport as much.
Whatever the reason, it’s good news as the more cyclists there are, the more that planners will have to take them into account - making it easier for more to become cyclists. Let’s just hope the momentum continues to fuel this virtuous cycle.
Heh.
You’re probably right about the post-COVID thing of not wanting to be in enclosed spaces, actually. There was also a big increase in cycling right after the 7/7 bombings, for similarly depressing reasons.
Yes, I think the increase in WFH is likely the biggest factor. Still, the bike lanes are probably helping more people make active travel decisions and keeping them safe when they do, so it’s all good!