City of London Cycling Sees Record Growth as Streets Transform
The City of London has seen its biggest surge in cycling since records began, with more people than ever swapping four wheels for two. Daily cycle trips across the Square Mile hit a record 139,000 in October 2024 – up by more than 50% from the 89,000 recorded just two years earlier.
This sharp rise in cycling in the City of London is not just a new milestone; it’s a sign of a wider shift in how people move through the capital. Across 30 official count points, people walking, cycling, or wheeling now account for three-quarters of all observed journeys, rising to 85% during the peak commuter hours of 8–10am and 5–7pm.
The story on the ground is clear: during working hours, there are now almost twice as many bikes as cars on City streets. At rush hour, cycling makes up more than half of all traffic. On some streets, cycling levels have more than doubled in just two years. While most riders use their own bikes, dockless hire services like Lime and Forest are booming too, with usage quadrupling since 2022. In support of this shift, Transport for London has continued expanding its cycleways network, helping to connect hundreds of thousands more Londoners to safe, accessible routes via dedicated infrastructure across the capital.
This trend reflects wider data showing that cycling journeys in Greater London are up 26% since 2019, with central London seeing a 12% rise since last year. The City of London is clearly ahead of the curve, hitting three of its 2030 transport strategy targets six years early. Since 2017, cycling is up 70%, while motor traffic is down 34% and freight traffic has fallen by 21%.
It’s not just cycling that’s changed. Motor traffic has continued its downward trend, falling 5% since the last count and by a quarter since 2019. However, the data also highlights how private vehicle traffic spikes after 6pm, when the Congestion Charge ends, with the busiest hour for car travel now 10pm.
Looking back to 1999, the difference is striking: there were more than three times as many cars in the City as there are today, and just a fraction of the number of cyclists. Fast forward to today, and the balance has flipped.
Shravan Joshi, Chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, said the change isn’t just about convenience, it’s improving safety and air quality too. “Our streets are safer, with the lowest number of serious injuries since records began. And air pollution has dropped dramatically, with only two City locations now exceeding the nitrogen dioxide limits, down from 15 in 2019.”
This all supports the wider vision for a greener capital. As London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman put it,
“Enabling more people to cycle improves health, cuts congestion, and helps the environment. It’s exciting to see this kind of progress in the City of London.”
For more updates on cycling in the Square Mile and further insights into transport and planning news, visit EyeOnLondon City. We’d love to hear your views in the comments.
[Image Credit | Wikimedia Commons]
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
