Fresh data on bicycle traffic is here! Since 2020, we’ve been providing data on bicycle use in 14 different countries, enabling us to report on trends in cycling.
We have thus been able to observe the impact of health measures, as well as the incredible “bike boom” observed in 2020 and 2021, a period when the need for physical activity and the great outdoors was really felt.
A few years on, and after a relatively stable 2022 and 2023, what do the trends for 2024 tell us?
General trends
In 2024 again, cycling continued to increase slightly. Comparing 2019 as the reference period, here is how cycling use has evolved in the 14 countries analyzed: a sharp increase in 2020, followed by a “return to normal” in the following years, yet slightly higher than 2019 (+8%).
And now here are some more specific elements for 2024.
An overall stable trend
Of the 14 countries analyzed, the trend in bicycle use is stable between 2023 and 2024: a 2% increase in traffic during the week, and a 3% increase on weekends.
The countries that saw the greatest increase in bicycle use between 2023 and 2024 were Ireland (+10%), Finland (+6%) and Belgium (+5%). The USA recorded an increase of 2%.
Evolution since 2019
And what about the longer-term trend? Between 2019 and 2024, the evolution of bicycle use is interesting to look at comparatively. We can see that the countries with the biggest increase in bicycle use are: Belgium (+41%), France (+37%), the United Kingdom (+24%), Poland (+17%) and Italy (+17%).
The trends for 2024 show us that the health context of 2020 acted as a real catalyst and made it possible to measure the “latent demand”. However, a plateau now seems to be emerging, with “post-COVID” levels identical to 2019 in some countries, or higher in others. In any case, the rates of progression that we observed in previous years now seem less significant in 2024, and underline one thing: investments are needed to generate sustainable growth in bicycle use!
It should also be noted that the countries with the highest increase in bicycle traffic are those that invest heavily in infrastructure and services. In Ireland, in particular, where bicycle traffic increased the most between 2023 and 2024, the state has been investing for several years and has announced a budget of nearly €300 million for 2025 for the cycling/walking plan, or €55 per year per inhabitant!
We will continue to closely monitor developments throughout 2025!
There is no comments