Cycling in Bristol compared across the UK

Last week I published an article about the drop in numbers of people cycling in Bristol: "Where have the cyclists gone?".

Here are some of the responses to the article:

My son-in -law is in his 40's and was perfectly confident but that didn't stop a driver coming out of a side road driving straight into the side of his bike one evening. He ended up with soft tissue brain damage and a bad shoulder injury. It look a long time to recover and a huge battle to get compensation for pain and lost earnings and psychological effects.

Has never cycled since and his kids have now got cars. though they do use the bus to get to Uni.

Haven’t 3 cyclists been killed this year already?

As traffic and congestion gets worse, drivers get frustrated and make poor decisions, nipping out when they think there’s a gap when they didn’t check properly.

Some of the cycling infrastructure is improving, like the new ring road cycle path from cold harbour lane, but a lot of city centre riding is pretty dicey, and that’s on top of the risk of having your bike stolen.

been cycling in Bristol for 8 years and have had a lot more horrible interactions with drivers in the past year than previous. Maybe I'm more aware of my own mortality as I get older, but I've started walking or running to the gym instead of cycling so I can avoid a particularly dangerous corner where cars keep squeezing me in.

I cycle about 4 times a week, heading off from home about 6am and I'd say I have drivers either overtaking too close or get verbally abused for simply....cycling where I am supposed to at least once a week. And it not just drivers doing it either, runners etc. The infrastructure isnt great but instead of people thinking "its congested, things happen that are slightly inconvenient" they are abusive. Ive been called a stupid bitch, a selfish cunt, had massive puddles purposely splashed in my face in the last fews months. Honestly absolutely hate cycling at the moment but there's no other way to get to where I need to be by relying on other methods (unless I got an uber every morning), The darkness and the route i have to take make me feel extra unsafe. Im fed up of being abused, I dont know how so many people can be so horrible before 7.30am. I'd never recommend cycling in Bristol

Definitely been a regression in driver behaviour in my experience the last few years, after many years of things getting better. Had my first direct death threat in years a few weeks ago, then nearly got laid out on a roundabout and then abused for the privilege last week. Too many angry men with little man syndrome driving big cars too fast thinking they own the road.

Might just be me, but I haven't had any real aggression or hostility recently (and I've had my fair share previously). It feels like things are actually getting better and the majority of drivers are more careful and respectful.

I feel like the weather this last 6 months has been worse than normal as well.

Constant rain and permanent wfh has pretty much put a dent or nail in the coffin of my bike.

Well my bike got nicked from my communal bike shed and neither my property management company nor the police wanted anything to do with it.

Bike theft and the police response to bike theft

I retired 5 years ago so only cycle mid afternoon these days and apart from the lycra crowd there are so many potentially fit young people on electric bikes and scooters. When I switched from a motorcycle to a bicycle aged 27, all I could afford initially was 50 quid for a secondhand 10 speed with steel rim wheels... So many of these youngsters may never learn to appreciate doing it all by themselves...

Maybe people are walking more

Potholes & lighting

The standards of driving in Bristol has become so poor, genuinely I haven’t known a ride this year but I’ve not had a abuse from a driver or been severely close past or nearly hit. I can see why it’s putting people off.

I stopped as I mostly work from home. Try to go out in summer a few times a week though

Too many cars, unconnected cycle paths and more drug addicts and petty criminals who will take a bike at any opportunity. Way too many risks

I stopped riding my bike to work because the roadworks are so bad between my house and my work that the danger and impracticality was not worth the 5-10 minute time saving over walking. Because I don't ride my bike to work, in no longer bother to keep the tyres pumped and the route to get it out of the living room into the street clear and therefore don't bother riding it to the shops.

I can't speak for anyone else, but that is why my bike hasn't been ridden since last summer. I'm a very experienced and competent ex club cyclist, not a ride in the gutter noob. Simply can't be fucked with the amount of unclipping and road crossing to dodge relentless roadworks and shit road/path designs.

I used to cycle to work but after three instances, one particular nasty one where the driver swerved towards me only because he felt I held him up, ive stopped. It's not worth it .

I loved commuting by bike but drive now as work is much further away. I miss cycling but often forget I nearly got killed twice and the potholes haven't got any better either. Cycling infrastructure still isn't good enough.

Some people on the roads are not fit to be there - both cyclists and drivers, I was riding home last night and had a car behind me with a young lad driving, with no lights on whatsoever.

This evening I saw a cyclist with no lights, all black.

Dread to think what would happen when the 2 meet.

Also saw a car pull out on a cyclist AND a motorbike at the same junction, bloke looked stoned and not entirely with it. Beggars belief how there aren't more accidents.

I'm a cyclist, car driver, bus user, and walker. I see so many crazy scenarios where I think "FUCKING HELL. SOMEONE COULD OF DIED THERE" that I'm starting to become immune to it.

If you're a vulnerable road user, you need to think everyone is out to kill you.

Attitudes need to change all round and that's going to take years. I think it is getting better, but my optimism is waning.

I have handed the police a gang of masked up, tooled up bike thieves at 3AM on a platter and they just let them walk away. I've also quite literally handed them a stolen bike I recovered, having already contacted the owner about collection, and they wouldn't even take care of it for the day so she could come and collect it from them. They just left me to deal with it as they simply don't care. So no, I don't cycle often now lol.

The taxi drivers, couriers and scooter riders are mentalists and a danger to cyclists.

There’s also been a marked increase in just aggressive driving paired with cars getting larger and larger and people not even realising how wide their car is and not leaving enough space when overtaking.

I got knocked off my bike at 8am by a speeding white van man. Managed to get myself back on my bike to not 2 months later almost get knocked off by a speeding Audi. I’ve not ridden my bike since.

I doubt I was the only one with that experience.

I love cycling but I don't cycle in Bristol, to be fair I avoid Bristol as much as possible but if I have to go, then bus or car, I'd much rather be cycling but cars seem bigger, and more aggressive in the years since covid, and there's no secure bike parking anywhere.

I know I'm about to get shouted down but I can't be the only one who finds Bristol's bike lanes badly designed. I don't cycle but walking through the center (where the fountains used to be) it's never immediately clear which bits are bike lanes and which are for pedestrians, there's bits where you have to cross a bike lane from a fairly blind corner and cyclists are understandably on edge so they get really angry and start yelling. I honestly avoid that bit if I can because so many times I've heard yells and bike bells and not known if I was walking in slightly the wrong place or if someone (or me) was about to get hit. It's near impossible (for me anyway) to tell which direction bike bells are coming from and the whole experience is angry and stressful. As for cycling I'd personally never feel safe enough in Bristol traffic to try it.

Dangerous driving, no real legal protections, no or rubbish infrastructure.

I stopped cycling because the abuse that gets hurled at you by some drivers puts you in a bad state of mind going to work. Easier to walk.

Been biking around a lot recently. Potholes, bike theft and the fact that apparently everyone has forgotten how to drive.

I used to commute by bike and now work mostly from home.

How does cycling in Bristol compare to the rest of the UK?

My previous article used data from the most recent Bristol Cycling Index, which is published by the "Walk Wheel Cycle Trust" (WWCT for short).

The WWCT also publish reports that cover many other areas of the UK.

I have taken the data from these areas for the "residents who cycle more than once a week" data point.

As the methodology used is the same for all areas, we can be confident that the comparison is valid.

This allows us to compare Bristol with these other areas.

Looking at the changes between 2025 and 2023 we can see that Bristol is not alone in seeing a reduction in residents who cycle at least once a week. But Greater Manchester reported a 30% increase.

This is the same table ordered by the percentage of residents who cycle at least once a week:

Bristol have dropped from 2nd to 3rd place since 2023: