Cycling in London’s Square Mile has reached record levels with 139,000 people now cycling a day across 30 locations according to a recent report published by The City of London Corporation.

The report, published on 24 April, shows cycling in The City of London has increased from 89,000 recorded in 2022, whilst footfall in the City has also risen by 8% since the last count that same year.

It details the results of the most recent autumn traffic survey conducted on 9 October 2024 and provides a summary of Transport for London’s (TfL) data on how people travel to the City.

The City of London Corporation said the news follows TfL’s announcement in November that cycling journeys in Greater London have increased by 26% since 2019, with cycling journeys in central London increasing by 12% since 2023.

Data from this report shows walking, wheeling and cycling now making up three quarters of all observed travel activity, 85% during peak hours (8-10am and 5-7pm).

Cyclists alone now make up 56% of all traffic in the peak commuting hours according to the report.  

Confirmed by the findings, four City streets have more than doubled cycling levels in just two years, with most of the increase (60%) from personal cycling compared to dockless.

Although it was noted that dockless cycles have also quadrupled since 2022 and now account for one-in-six bikes on the City’s streets.

The four-fold increase in dockless cycling also matches data on journeys starting and ending in the City shared by dockless cycle operators Lime and Forest.

Cycle operator Lime stated that its users made 16 million journeys during commuting hours in 2024 alone.

The changes in traffic mean the City Corporation has hit three key targets six years ahead of schedule.

Since 2017 cycling has increased by 70% (50% target), motor traffic has reduced by 34% (25% target) and freight traffic is down by 21% (15% target).  

Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, Shravan Joshi, said: “As footfall across the City of London continues to rise, it’s vital our Transport Strategy ensures that it is a safer and more pleasant environment for everyone to travel through.

“We know this work is making a difference. Our streets are safer with the latest figures showing the lowest number of serious injuries on our streets since records began, but we are not taking our eye off the ball, as there is more work to do.

“Our air quality is improving, too. When we first published our strategy in 2019, 15 locations across the City exceeded our air quality objective for toxic nitrogen dioxide. Last year this figure was down to two.”

London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, added: "Enabling more people to cycle improves health, cuts congestion and helps the environment – so it’s key to the Mayor’s vision for transport.

"I’m really excited about this increase in cycling across the City of London, which is great progress towards our goal of increasing cycling journeys to 1.6 million by 2030.

"The network of cycleways across the capital is continuing to grow, helping unlock safer and more accessible cycling to even more Londoners, supporting the Mayor’s aim for a greener, safer London for all.”

Full report by The City of London Corporation can be found here.