Promotion and Encouragement

1. The new figures have been collected through Sport England's Active People Survey. Previously, this survey had specifically excluded cycling that was not sport or recreational cycling. The opportunity was therefore being missed to collect some vitally important data about levels of day-to-day cycle use (e.g. for work, school or shopping trips) via a survey large enough to allow comparisons to be made of cycle use at a local level.

This has now been rectified, thanks to CTC's campaigning. In future years, these data will prove invaluable for showing which authorities are proving successful in their efforts to boost cycle use locally.

2. Local authorities now have a new duty, under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to take steps to improve the health of their populations. Meanwhile, recent Government guidelines on physical activity recommend that adults should undertake at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week. Regular cycling is one of the best ways to enable people to integrate regular physical activity into their day-to-day lives.

3. See also CTC's campaigns briefings on health and on local transport policies to promote cycling.