On National Car Free Day, Business First talks to CompareNI.com Managing Director Ian Wilson on how Northern Ireland is falling behind the rest of the UK when it comes to cycling and air quality:
“With National Car Free Day today, 22nd September, we decided to research the 20 most cycle-friendly cities based on the number of mapped cycleways for push bikes, across the UK.
Northern Ireland had the least amount of cities on the list, with Belfast being the only place from Northern Ireland in the top 20.
The lack of cycling friendly routes and facilities in Northern Ireland is reflected in recent government data. In the most recent ‘Walking, Cycling and Public Transport in Northern Ireland report’ less than half (46%) of respondents said they were satisfied with cycling facilities in their area, down from 53% in the previous year’s report.
National Car Free Day
The same report found that just a third of respondents (33%) said they owned or had access to a bicycle. In addition to this, of those who owned or had access to a bicycle, just over a third (34%) had cycled in the previous four weeks.*
The Department for Transport’s National Travel Attitudes Survey has shown that due to the cost-of-living crisis, 35% of the UK now choose to cycle or walk some of their journeys, rather than getting behind the wheel.**
The cost of driving has rapidly increased over the past few years – notably, the rise in fuel prices (petrol now costs over 150p per litre for the first time in 12 months),*** as well as car insurance costs soaring (with premiums now up by over 50%).****
This means that many people are now thinking twice about driving – with cycling being an environmentally friendly, healthy, and significantly cheaper option.
Air pollution poses the biggest environmental hazard to human health across the United Kingdom – contributing to a range of both short-term and long-term health impacts. According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report, Belfast was the UK’s 3rd most polluted city out of a total of 130 cities reported.*****
It’s tough at the moment as the cost-of-living crisis starts to squeeze all aspects of our lives, with fuel prices and car insurance costs skyrocketing, making fewer motorists able to afford driving, but it is a positive step forward to see more people consider cycling as an option.
People are considering those quick, jump in the car journeys and substituting them for walking or cycling which is great for their health and a positive step forward in reducing the number of cars on the roads – improving the environment and our physical and mental wellbeing.
It is disappointing that only one area from Northern Ireland is on the list especially since Belfast is reportedly the third most polluted city in the UK. If these pedestrian trends continue and more cyclists try substituting cars and public transport, the hope is more investment will come from government and local authorities to focus on growing bike lanes and suitable facilities.
Inner city cycling can be very dangerous especially if not on one of the dedicated cycleways so it’s important all road users be aware of each other and respectful of the time and space cyclists need.”
Here are the top 20 cycle-friendly cities across the UK, from CompareNI.com
| RANK | CITY | NUMBER OF MAPPED CYCLEWAYS |
| 1 | London | 300,873 |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 208,059 |
| 3 | Birmingham | 187,417 |
| 4 | Bristol | 132,866 |
| 5 | Inverness | 120,878 |
| 6 | Carlisle | 108,535 |
| 7 | Glasgow | 106,547 |
| 8 | York | 79,438 |
| 9 | Cardiff | 68,875 |
| 10 | Cambridge | 60,459 |
| 11 | Belfast | 59,077 |
| 12 | Oxford | 58,341 |
| 13 | Liverpool | 55,073 |
| 14 | Lichfield | 46,230 |
| 15 | Bath | 46,049 |
| 16 | Canterbury | 42,345 |
| 17 | Brighton | 41,883 |
| 18 | Hull | 36,826 |
| 19 | Winchester | 36,688 |
| 20 | Norwich | 36,566 |
Cyclist and bicycle insurance can help safeguard both bike and rider in case of an incident. For all types of bicycle insurance, including electric bike, CompareNI.com can help. -ENDS-
Please note there was no data available for the following cities: Newcastle, St. Albans, Westminster, St. Asaph and St. Davids.
Number of mapped ways sourced from BikeMap (correct as of 18/09/23) – https://www.bikemap.net/
***https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/aug/21/uk-petrol-prices-rise-150p-a-litre-supermarkets-fuel
****https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jul/22/uk-drivers-car-insurance-costs-price-petrol-diesel
