Journeys by active travel

The proportion of short journeys less than 2 miles that are made by walking and the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by cycling. Find out more about this indicator.

Since 2012, the proportion of journeys under 2 miles made on foot is little changed, from 48.5% to 47.6%. Over that time the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by bike is little changed from 1.5% in 2012 to 1.7% in 2019.

In 2019, 1.7% of journeys under 5 miles were made by bike (similar to 2018, with just a 0.1% decrease) and 47.6% of journeys under 2 miles were made on foot (a 4.6% increase from 2018).

Although the proportion of cycling journeys remained steady, the rise in the number of walking journeys means the National Indicator status is determined as Performance Improving.

Results show that as adults get older they tend to make a smaller proportion of journeys under two miles by walking.

Those in their 20s, 30s and 40s make the largest proportion of journeys under five miles by bike.

Men take a larger proportion of short journeys bike than women.

White Scottish people take the smallest proportion of short journeys on foot.

People with no religion take a slightly higher proportion of short journeys on foot.

People with a permanent sickness or disability take a greater proportion of their short journeys on foot than the general population.

Over the past few years people living in the most deprived areas in Scotland have generally made a larger proportion of their short journeys by walking compared with those living in the least deprived areas.

However, it is those living in the least deprived areas that make the largest proportion of short trips by bike.

This indicator can be broken down by gender age, Scottish index of Multiple Deprivation, ethnicity, religion and disability. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

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