Cycling in theUnited Kingdom has a long history, since the earliest days of thebicycle, and after a decline in the mid-20th century has been undergoing a resurgence in recent decades.[1][2]
John Kemp Starley, a 19th-century English inventor is often considered the inventor of the modern bicycle. He began producing the RoverSafety Bicycle in 1885.
In the late 19th century, the city ofCoventry was the largest producer of bicycles in the world.[3]
TheNational Clarion Cycling Club, which has member sections across the country, was started in the 1890s and was instrumental in the promotion of thesocialist movement as well as the growth in popularity of cycling.
The numbers of people commuting to work by bicycle increased by 17% to 760,000 in England and Wales between 2001 and 2011,[2] a total proportion of 2.9% of all commuters.[4]
At the governmental level, cycling is a responsibility of theDepartment for Transport.Cycling UK advocates in the areas of utility and recreational cyclists, as opposed to cycle sport which is governed byBritish Cycling.
Initiatives such as theCycle to Work scheme are designed to encourage cycling as a mode of transport, particularly for its environmental benefits against automobile use.
The DfT administers theBikeability national cycle training programme, which educates both children and adults in bike handling skills andvehicular cycling on public roads.[5]
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Active travel is devolved to theScottish Parliament andWelsh Parliament. TheUK Parliament has overall responsibility for active travel policy in England, which is delegated toActive Travel England, an agency of the Department for Transport.[6]
In 2017, the Government published aCycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which introducedLocal Cycling and Walking Inferastructure Plans, which local authorities could produce to guide investment in active travel infrastructure. The Government set a deadline of November 2019 for local authorities to produce a plan.[6]
In 2020, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new funding for active travel infrastructure in England outside London. In July 2020, the Department for Transport publishedGear Change: A bold vision for cycling and walking. The Government's stated aim is for England to be a "great walking and cycling nation" and for half of all journeys in towns and cities being walked or cycled by 2030. The plan accompanies £2 billion in additional funding over the following five years for cycling and walking announced in May 2020. The plan also introduced a new body and inspectorate known asActive Travel England.[6]
Alongside the plan, the Government produced a new guidance document forcycling infrastructure standards.[6]
In 2014, the Scottish Government published theLong-Term Vision for Active Travel in Scotland 2030. Subsequently, they published theNational Walking Strategy andCycling Action Plan for Scotland 2017-2020. In 2018, Scotland appointed an Active Nation CommissionerLee Craigie, who is a national advocate for Active Travel.[6]
Active travel policy in Wales is governed by theActive Travel (Wales) Act 2013 and theActive Travel Action Plan for Wales. The Welsh Government aims for walking and cycling to become the preferred ways of getting around over shorter distances.[6]
Standards for cycle infrastructure have gradually evolved over time to require better segregation and wider lanes for safety reasons. The most recent nationwide cycle design guidance for England is Local Transport Note 1/20, released in July 2020. It is not a requirement for cycle infrastructure to follow this, but most highway authorities have adopted it as their standards.Highways England have their own guidance for trunk road called CD 195 which was based on IAN 195/16 originally issued in October 2016. Much of LTN 1/20 is based upon CD 195.[7]
Transport Scotland issues cycle infrastructure design guidance for Scotland through the Cycling by Design document. In cooperation withSustrans, an update was issued byPatrick Harvie, Minister for Active Travel, as a response to the growth of active travel infrastructure during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[8]
On road cycle-lanes should only be used on roads with 20 mph limit, although use of 30 mph with little traffic is acceptable. Light segregation is recommended for any roads with limits below 30 mph, while any road above 40 mph should be fully segregated from motor traffic. Minimal widths of 1-way cycle tracks is between 2m and 2.5m depending on cycle usage. 2-way cycle tracks should be between 3m and 4m depending on cycle usage. On-road cycle lanes should be 2m wide. Widths can be narrower at isolated sections due to constrains such as trees or street furniture. Cycle tracks should be designed for a travel speed of 20 mph, or 25 mph on downhill gradients.[9]
TheNational Cycle Network, created by the charitySustrans, is the UK's major network of signed routes for cycling. It uses dedicated bike paths as well as roads with minimal traffic, and covers 14,000 miles (23,000 kilometres), passing within 1 mi (2 km) of half of all homes.[10] Other cycling routes such asThe National Byway, theSea to Sea Cycle Route and local cycleways can be found across the country.
Cities and large towns may have their own collection of cycle routes; for example,London'sTransport for London has theCycle Superhighways.
The governing organisations for cycle sport in the UK isBritish Cycling andCycling Ireland.
The 21st century has seen a dramatic increase in the performance of British cyclists at the top levels of international cycling. Great Britain dominated the medal tables in cycling at the2008,2012 and2016 Olympics, while riders such asBradley Wiggins,Mark Cavendish andChris Froome have recorded multiple wins in professional road races such as theTour de France.
Major professional road races include theTour of Britain, theTour de Yorkshire,The Women's Tour and theLondon–Surrey Classic. On the track, theRevolution series events are most prominent. London hosted the2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
The Tour de France included stages in Britain in 1974, 1994, 2007 and 2014.
There are five Olympic-size indoor velodromes in Britain: the Olympic Velodrome inLee Valley VeloPark,Manchester Velodrome, theSir Chris Hoy Velodrome,Wales National Velodrome andDerby Arena.
TheNational Indoor BMX Arena is located at theNational Cycling Centre in Manchester.
Well-known regular events amateur and leisure cyclists includeRideLondon and theDunwich Dynamo. More than 100,000 people took part incyclosportives in 2014.[1]
Cyclists cannot use certain roads in the United Kingdom, most notablyMotorways.[11] Further, some roads can be marked off-limits to cyclists by the presence of either aNo Cycling sign (a bicycle in a red circle), or aNo Vehicles sign (an empty red circle). In the latter case, cycles may be pushed.[12] Other than these restrictions, cyclists can use any public highway in the United Kingdom, such as A roads (includingdual carriageways).
The use of dedicated cycle facilities is not compulsory, and use "depends on your experience and skills".[13] However, riding on the pavement is illegal.
Bicycles must furthermore be road-worthy, which inGreat Britain means that the bicycle must have "two efficient braking systems" that operate independently on both wheels. This includesfixed-gear bicycles, where backwards pressure on the pedals acts as a brake, so only a front brake is required in this case.[13]
For riding in the hours of darkness between sunset and sunrise, cyclists must have at least a red rear light and a white front light, as well as a red rear reflector and four amber pedal reflectors (one at the back and one at the front on each pedal).[14]
Cycling with a passenger on the saddle, also known as giving a backie, was made illegal by section 24 of theRoad Traffic Act 1988.[15]
