The biggest assessment of walking, wheeling, and cycling in Aberdeen has shown that people in the city walk or wheel more frequently than any other form of urban transport.
The Walking and Cycling Index found that 57% of people in the city walk or wheel at least five or more days each week. This compares to 41% of people who use a car, 6% who use public transport and 4% who cycle at least five or more days each week.
The Walking and Cycling Index is the biggest assessment of walking, wheeling, and cycling in urban areas in the UK and Ireland and is carried out by Sustrans in collaboration with 18 cities and urban areas. Building from Bike Life, first published in 2015, Walking and Cycling Index is the first report to also include walking and wheeling in its assessment. This is the first report from Aberdeen.
The report found that every year, walking, wheeling, and cycling in Aberdeen prevents 603 serious long-term health conditions, and creates £162.9 million in economic benefit for individuals and the area. It found that every day, walking and cycling in the city takes up to 59,000 cars off the road.
The report also states that 97% of all residents walk, with 99.9 million walking and wheeling trips made in Aberdeen in the past year. For cycling, 5.8 million cycling trips were made in Aberdeen in the past year, adding up to 23.2 million miles or 64,000 miles a day.
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “It is great to see people walking, wheeling and cycling around Aberdeen and we would encourage people to use a more sustainable form of transport where they can.
“The information and statistics from the report will help us to encourage more people to choose active travel. As a council we continue to invest in infrastructure to support green travel.”
The data in the report comes from 2021 and includes local walking and cycling data, modelling, and an independent survey of 1,313 residents aged 16 or above in Aberdeen. The survey was conducted from June to August 2021 following Covid-19 travel restrictions being lifted across the UK.
Stewart Carruth, Interim Director, Sustrans Scotland, said: “I’d like to thank the people of Aberdeen who gave us their time to take part in the Walking and Cycling Index. Walking and wheeling should be the most accessible and desirable form of transport. It is of huge importance to people, especially during the current cost of living crisis and the climate emergency.
“The evidence is clear – Aberdonians want the option to walk and wheel to where they need to get to. Aberdeen City Council can rest assured that they have the backing of the public to build on the work they have already started to make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle to get around.”
The Walking and Cycling Index UK and the Aberdeen report are available at