YORK is the UK’s fifth most cycle-friendly city, according to a new study by a civil engineering and transport infrastructure specialist.

The research, from Colas Ltd, combined the latest data on road traffic accidents (RTAs) involving cyclists from the Department for Transport, with insight on mapped cycle routes from BikeMap - and figures on cycling infrastructure investment from a freedom of information request with councils.

York scored a cycle-friendly rating of 83 out of 100, ranking fifth in the list. The research found that the city has 64,354 km of mapped cycle ways, as well as 1,075 cycle routes. In 2020, there were also a relatively low 104 RTAs involving cyclists reported.

The study found that around 11.6 per cent of adults reportedly cycle at least once a week in North Yorkshire - and that North Yorkshire County Council plans to spend £1.01 million on cycle network improvements in 2022.

Bristol was ranked as the country's most cycle-friendly city, scoring 89/100, while Edinburgh came second with 88.5.

Colas also commissioned a survey with 2,000 UK adults to find out more about the nation’s attitudes to cycling and how easy it is to access cycle-friendly routes. The survey highlighted that 4.7 million people have plans to start cycling regularly this year.