Cycle Winchester’s fourth annual cycle count has shown the number of people cycling in the city has remained static since 2022. We explore why there is no growth in Winchester while other cities have seen significant increases.
For the fourth consecutive year, we have undertaken a count of cyclists on a representative weekday morning rush hour. We are publishing the full report here.
Our cyclist count indicates that there has been no increase in the number of people cycling in our city over a three year period. 2024 saw a small increase of around 5% over 2022 and 2023, but 2025 saw that increase reversed.
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Total cycle movements | 301 | 300 | 314 | 300 |
The conclusion is based on limited data. But Cycle Winchester believes it tells us enough to be worried. If there are better data and a more positive picture painted, we would be glad to see it.
This is a serious matter for anyone concerned about high levels of pollution, concerned about severely congested streets, concerned about the physical and mental well-being of those who live and work here and not least concerned about how attractive Winchester is as a city. It should be of particular concern to local authorities, aiming to increase the levels of active travel.
The Department of Transport National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS, 2024) tells us that “safer roads were the most popular factor that would encourage people to cycle more, chosen by 61% of all respondents”.
Our surveyors get the opportunity to witness the measures taken by cyclists to gain some feeling of safety. Unwelcome dismounts, pushing cycles on pavements, difficult crossings, delays when oversized vehicles block otherwise quiet routes at school drop-off time. These and more are recorded in our full report, and vividly brought to life by an Instagram reel captured by one of our recorders.
As we have reported before, we believe that without significant improvement in cycling infrastructure, we will not see the uplift in cycling that we, and our local authorities, are hoping for.
It was good to see a new cycle crossing on Worthy Road delivered this year, which arrived shortly before our survey. There was no immediate increase in numbers – people’s travel habits take time to evolve. The infrastructure needs to form part of a coherent whole and people need to know about it.
To that end Cycle Winchester is currently working with local councillors to launch what we are calling the Barton Line, a cycle-friendly route into town from Barton Farm, via the new crossing.
The aim is to increase awareness and hence use of the route. But as important, the parallel aim is to leverage crucial improvements at key points, so that the crossing forms part of a complete, safe and attractive route into the city for cyclists.
Are the results in Winchester typical?
Good data are hard to find, but there are enough stories to suggest that investment in safe cycling infrastructure delivers the desired increase in cycle journeys.
- In London, the last six years have seen what amounts to a 5% rise every year in the number of cycle trips.
- In Leeds District, a survey of 28 locations showed an overall increase of 23% cycle trips from June 2024 to June 2025. It’s probably no coincidence that over 20 of those locations are listed as a cycle-superhighway, cycle-lane, cycle-path or cycle-route ie places where cyclists feel welcome and safe.
- A recent Cycling Scotland report reveals “the continuing impact of new infrastructure to support everyday cycling”. Highlights include a recent rush-hour period in Glasgow when on one route more journeys were cycled than driven and in Edinburgh a protected cycle lane route showed an increase in bike journeys of 90% since last year.
- In Manchester the Oxford Road cycling corridor has increased usage every year since counts began in 2016 ( Covid years excepted) and in the year 2024 had recorded a million cycle trips by September.
- Cambridge is a city more comparable in size and nature to Winchester. Records show that in the ten years from 2001 cycle journeys grew by the equivalent of over 3% annually and for the next six years by the equivalent of over 4% annually.
- Closer to home, West Berkshire Spokes carries out counts of passing cyclists at seventeen locations in Newbury, Thatcham, Tilehurst, Purley, Theale and Hungerford on behalf of West Berkshire Council. Their latest report shows an average annual increase in total cycle trips of 5% between 2021 and 2024.
It isn’t easy to know what differentiates success and failure and individual situations are nuanced.
It isn’t just about money. Many schemes around Winchester have won Active Travel Fund budget, but reasons for not proceeding almost always trump the imperative to see them through. The difference seems to be between authorities that say “this is what we’d like to do” and those who say “this is what we’re going to do”.
In simple terms: where there’s a will, there’s a (cycle)way.
Reason for optimism
Although this report tells a story of lack of progress, anecdotally there do seem to be increasing numbers of very young cyclists out and about, mainly on pavements, learning to ride on routes and at times that wouldn’t be captured by our survey. Cycle Winchester itself has played a large part in pushing the growth of school bikes buses, most of which run on a Friday, where the large number of youngsters cycling to school wouldn’t be recorded by our survey.
So, there is some cause for hope. But the conditions need to be made right so that as they gain in confidence these new riders can take their rightful place on the road. Aside from specific provision for cyclists, steps to reduce the speed and quantity of motor vehicles on our streets should be a very high priority.
I suggested via the Cycling UK a few months ago that each district should record the amount of dedicated cycleways it is responsible for. Winchester would I suspect have the lowest in Hampshire. Just compare it with Gosport, Fareham, Southampton, Portsmouth. And yet housebuilding generates huge amounts of developer contributions, a fraction of which could address the need.
Yes, it would make an interesting comparison. Something to bring up in tonight’s meeting about local devolution and the Hampshire and Solent mayor, perhaps.
I cycle a fair bit around Winchester and surrounding countryside and I would suggest there is little increase for several reasons. 1. It’s a small place so for many living locally walking is probably easier- takes a bit more time, but a lot less hassle. 2. people commuting in will be discouraged by seeing cyclists more and more in dangerous situations. Partly the dilapidating state of the already narrow roads, but also the increase in traffic volumes, speed and vehicle sizes which drives increasing selfishness in drivers.
Cycling in from Kings Worthy, you are bounced around by the broken road surface, and the supposed shared pavement is worse- lots of detritus- lethal in the wet, again a broken surface, sloping into the main roadway and many un-prioritised crossings. Stockbridge Road affords drivers a final sprint with overtaking manoeuvres that would be hilarious if not downright dangerous.
Yes, I think we agree. Interestingly, Worthy Road is one route where there has been a lot of design effort applied by the county council, to try and come up with a design that is safe and inviting for cyclists. But, except for the welcome but short stretch near Abbots Barton, nothing has progressed beyond the design stage.