FEWER people were cycling in Redditch last year than in 2019, new figures show.
A cycling charity has called for greater funding for environmentally-friendly travel as cycling rates remain below pre-pandemic levels across England.
The Active Lives Survey from Sport England is used to assess how much exercise people are getting across the country.
Figures from the survey, compiled by the Department for Transport, show 8.7% of people in Redditch were cycling at least once a month in the year to November 2022 – a fall from 12.2% in 2019.
Across England, 16.1% of people said they biked once a month in 2019 – this has since fallen to 13.1%.
Cycling UK – which campaigns for better access to cycling across the country – called the figures disheartening, especially given a spike at the height of the pandemic when fewer cars were on the road.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here