YORK had one of the highest proportions of cyclists in England last year, new figures show.

And councillors in the city have welcomed the "positive news" - citing York's strong walking and cycling heritage.

Figures from the Active Lives Survey from Sport England, compiled by the Department for Transport (DfT), show 27.7 per cent of people in York were cycling at least once a month in the year to November 2022 – one of the highest rates in the country.

Speaking on the figure for York, Councillor Pete Kilbane, deputy leader of City of York Council and executive member for economy and transport, said: “We welcome this positive news but will wait for more analysis to establish any longer-term trend.

"York has a strong walking and cycling heritage, but if we are to achieve our climate and traffic reduction targets and see a long-term, sustainable increase in rates of cycling, we need to enable more people to choose the bicycle as the primary way of getting around. Cyclists are congestion heroes, helping to free up the roads for those who need to use them.

“There is much more to be done to encourage even more people towards riding, wheeling and walking in the future and we will soon be holding consultations to help guide the improvements and support that residents need to make the switch.”

York's figure was a fall from 31 per cent in 2019, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Across England, 16.1 per cent of people said they biked once a month in 2019 – this has since fallen to 13.1 per cent.

According to the Active Lives Survey, much of the dip in cycling across England has come from fewer people cycling for leisure – 13.1 per cent did so at least once a month in 2019, compared to 9.2 per cent last year.

York saw a drop over the same period, from 18.9 per cent to 16.7 per cent.

Data from the Department for Transport, taken from traffic counts, shows five per cent fewer bikes on the road in June 2023 than a year before.

Cycling UK, which campaigns for better access to cycling across the country, called the figures "disheartening", given a spike at the height of the pandemic when fewer cars were on the road.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Overall, the numbers of people choosing to walk or cycle increasing over the past year has returned to pre-pandemic levels and we are well on the way to half of all short journeys in towns and cities being walked or cycled by 2030.

"This has been supported by our investment of over £3 billion into walking and cycling to 2025," they added.