The DfT data demonstrates the surge in cycling – when Covid restrictions affected travel patterns – peaked in March 2021. The amount of cycling on main roads fell by 24.1 per cent from that time up to the end of 2022.
The decline has sparked concern that the government will fail to hit its own targets for increasing cycling activity.
However, the DfT added that cycling remains 11.1 per cent above pre-pandemic levels and had risen overall by 23.7 per cent since 2013. It has a long-standing target of doubling cycling numbers by 2025 compared with 2013 levels.
Chris Boardman, the former Olympic cyclist who heads government agency Active Travel England, said: “It’s great to see cycling in this country riding high at 11 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.
“The movement for moving is catching on as more of us choose to ride bikes for everyday trips, putting the joy back into journeys. This is great for our health, it’s free transport and it helps us to be more...
