Publication of Walking, Cycling and Public Transport in Northern Ireland 2018/2019

The Walking, Cycling and Public Transport in Northern Ireland 2018/19 report is now available.

Attitudes to Walking, Cycling and Public Transport Statistics 2019

The report, produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), presents findings from the 2018/2019 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) and this is the second year that this question set was included in the CHS. The publication is available on the ASRB website at:

• Walking, Cycling and Public Transport in Northern Ireland 2018/19

The report presents headline information, as well as presenting results across age, gender, and geographic breakdowns.

Key Points

Walking

• 61% of respondents said they were satisfied with the current situation for walking and walkers in their local area at present.
• The main reasons people weren’t satisfied were ‘poor lighting at night’ (50%), ‘traffic goes too fast’ (46%), and ‘not enough footpaths’ (46%).
• 53% of respondents said they would be likely to walk short distances of up to 2 miles/3kms.
• The main reasons people were discouraged from walking were 'bad weather' (29%), 'lack of footpaths' (22%),'takes too long – the car is quicker'(21%). 

Cycling

• 53% of respondents said they were satisfied with the current situation for cycling and cyclists in their local area.
• The main reasons people weren’t satisfied were 'no cycle lanes' (66%), 'traffic goes too fast' (42%) and ‘too much traffic’ (42%).
• 15% of respondents said they would be likely to cycle any journeys of up to 3 miles/5kms.
• The main reasons people were discouraged from cycling were 'don't own/have access to a bicycle' (55%), 'too much traffic/too dangerous' (22%) and ‘health/mobility make it impossible' (16%).

Public Transport

• 71% of respondents said they were satisfied with the current public transport situation and facilities in their local area.
• The main reasons people were not satisfied were 'not enough services' (68%), 'no direct services to where I want to go' (40%) and 'times of buses/trains not suitable' (34%).
• 45% of respondents said they would be likely to use public transport for journeys of up to 6 miles/10kms.
• The main reasons people were discouraged from using public transport were 'takes too long – the car is quicker' (36%), 'frequency of buses/trains, i.e. times of buses/trains not suitable' (23%) and 'prices too high' (15%).

Notes to editors: 

Background

1. The information presented in this publication derives from the 2018/2019 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) in relation to Walking, Cycling and Public Transport. The CHS is considered to be a representative sample of the population.
2. It contains information on the proportion of people aged 16 and over who are satisfied with the walking, cycling and public transport provision in their local area, the reasons for dissatisfaction, and their willingness to walk journeys of up to 2 miles (3km), cycle journeys of up to 3 miles (5km) and take public transport for journeys up to 6 miles (10km).The Department will use the information presented in this publication to inform and understand the story behind current baselines and to assist in any future policy discussion and development. This was the second year that this question set was included in the CHS.

A total of 2,948 adults aged 16 and over were surveyed in 2018/2019.

Official Statistics

3. This is an Official Statistics publication and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Statistics.  You can find further information about the Code of Practice at: Statistics Authority.

Further Information

For further information relating to this publication, including additional analysis, breakdowns of data, or alternative formats please contact:

• Tel:  028 9054 0865 (Text relay prefix 18001)
• E-mail: ASRB@nisra.gov.uk
• Website: Statistics and research

4. All 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 hours please contact the duty press officer on 028 9037 8110.

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