Publication of cycling and walking to/from work in Northern Ireland 2015/2016

The Cycling and Walking to/ from Work in Northern Ireland 2015/2016 report is now available.

This report, produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), presents findings from the 2015/2016 Continuous Household Survey (CHS).  2014/2015 was the first year that this question set was included in the CHS and this is the second such report produced.  

The publication is available on the ASRB website at:

• https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/walking-and-cycling-0

KEY POINTS

Cycling to/ from Work

1. Of the 1,663 respondents who said they travel to work, one in fifty (2%) said they normally cycle to work AND from work, a small percentage (0.1%) said they normally cycle to work OR from work and the majority (98%) said they do not cycle to or from work. These percentages are the same as in 2014/2015.
2. Of the 27 respondents who reported that they normally cycle to work AND/OR from work, over two fifths (44%) cycle 2-3 miles, on average, in one direction.Over a fifth (22%) cycle 6 miles or more, just under a fifth (19%) cycle 4-5 miles and just over one in seven (15%) cycle 1 mile or less in one direction. These percentages are similar to 2014/2015.
3. All respondents who normally cycle to work AND/OR from work reported that they cycle all the way. This is similar to 2014/2015 where the majority (97%) of respondents reported that they cycle all the way and one in thirty (3%) reported that they cycle part of the way to work.
4. Just under half (48%) of respondents who reported that they normally cycle to work AND/OR from work said they cycle 5 days per week on average. Just over a quarter (26%) said they cycle 3 days per week and just over a tenth (11%) said they cycle 1 day per week. One in twenty (4%) said they cycle 2, 4, 6 or 7 days per week. These percentages are similar to 2014/15.

Walking to/ from Work

1. Of the 1,664 respondents who said they travel to work, a tenth (10%) said they normally walk to work AND from work, a small percentage (1%) said they normally walk to work OR from work and the majority (89%) said they do not walk to or from work. These percentages are the same as in 2014/15.
2. Respondents aged 16-24 (21%) were more likely to normally walk to work AND/OR from work than those aged 35-49 (9%) and 50-64 (10%).These percentages are similar to 2014/2015.
3. Female respondents (14%) were more likely to normally walk to work AND/OR from work than male respondents (8%). These percentages are the same as in 2014/2015.
4. Respondents from urban areas (15%) were more likely to normally walk to work AND/OR from work than those from rural areas (4%).These percentages are the same as in 2014/2015.
5. All but one of the 190 respondents who reported that they normally walk to work AND/OR from work provided information on the average distance they walk in one direction.Over two thirds (69%) walk 1 mile or less, on average, in one direction, over a quarter (27%) walk 2-3 miles, one in twenty-five (4%) walk 4-5 miles and a small percentage (1%) walk 6 miles or more in one direction.These percentages are similar to 2014/2015.
6. The majority (95%) of respondents who normally walk to work AND/OR from work reported that they walk all the way and one in twenty (5%) reported that they walk part of the way. These percentages are similar to 2014/2015.
7. Just over half (52%) of respondents who reported that they normally walk to work AND/OR from work said they walk 5 days per week on average.One in seven (14%) said they walk 3 days per week, just over one in eight (13%) said they walk 4 days per week and one in sixteen (6%) said they walk 2 days per week. Less than one in twenty said they walk 1 day per week and 7 days per week (4% and 3% respectively). These percentages are similar to 2014/2015.One in twelve (8%) respondents who reported that they normally walk to work AND/OR from work said they walk 6 days per week on average.This is an increase of five percentage points from 2014/2015 (3%).

Notes to editors: 

1. Background

• The information presented in this publication derives from the 2015/2016 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) in relation to cycling and walking to/ from work by persons in the north of Ireland.  This was the second year that this question set was included in the CHS.  The CHS is considered to be a representative sample of the north of Ireland population at household level.
• A total of 3,286 adults aged 16 and over were surveyed in 2015/2016.  Questions were asked of those persons that were classified as being in employment, i.e. those that did paid work in the last week, or on a government-supported training scheme, or away from a job/ business, or unpaid work for own or family business, a total of 1,763 adults. 1,756 adults provided a response to the initial question.
• TravelwiseNI is the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) initiative to encourage people to choose sustainable transport options such as walking, cycling, public transport or car sharing.  Its main promotional activities are directed towards three groups of road users; Schools, Commuters and Employers.  DfI will use the information presented in this publication to monitor the effectiveness of the Travelwise NI initiatives that are aimed at increasing the proportion of commuters who travel actively to work.

2. Official Statistics

• This is an Official Statistics publication and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.  You can find further information about the Code of Practice at: https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/

3. Further Information

For further information please contact:

• Tel (public enquiries): 028 9054 0981 (Text relay prefix 18001)
• E-mail: ASRB@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
• Website: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/topics/dfi-statistics-and-research

4. Media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office on 028 9054 0007 or email press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07623 974 373 and your call will be returned.
5. Follow the department on Twitter @deptinfra

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