LONDON (Reuters) – The number of people cycling in the City of London has increased by more than 50% in two years, boosted by new cycle paths and dockless cycles and helping to improve air quality in the financial district.
According to official data, in October 2024, 139,000 people a day cycled in the Square Mile, the historic centre of London which is the city’s main financial district, up from 89,000 in 2022.
That means there are nearly twice as many bikes as cars on the streets during the day, the City of London Corporation said in a statement.
The boom in cycling has coincided with a reduction in motor-vehicle traffic, down 5% since 2022, and air quality improvements in the area, with the number of locations exceeding nitrogen dioxide targets falling to two in 2024 from 15 in 2019.
London has had a congestion charge aimed a reducing vehicle traffic since 2003. The wider city’s air quality has improved in recent years thanks to an Ultra Low Emission Zone which imposes a levy on the most polluting vehicles.
Cyclists have been encouraged by new paths and routes, and by the growth of dockless hire cycle schemes in the city, the use of which has quadrupled since 2022. “Lime” and “Forest” bikes now account for one-in-six bikes on the City’s streets.
The jump in cycling in the City of London is ahead of the rise in the broader central London area, which is up 12% since 2023.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by William James)
