It’s time to get on your bike as Manchester has been named one of the most cycle-friendly cities in the UK, according to a recent study. New research from health insurance company, Saga, has revealed the top cycling cities in the UK – pointing to the most cycle-friendly locations to pick up this two-wheeled hobby.
To determine the best cities, Saga created an index to score locations based on availability of bike share schemes, cyclist safety, likelihood of bike theft, number of cycling routes, and the impact of local weather conditions on cycling. Analysing 17 cities in the UK, Norwich was crowned the top cycling city, scoring high marks (10.0) for categories like cycle routes, bike sharing schemes and cycle friendly weather conditions.
Closely followed was Newcastle (9.53), with the largest number of sharing scheme options – then Belfast (9.28), Nottingham (9.09) and Glasgow (8.02), which also scored highly across these categories. In other locations, cities such as Edinburgh received praise for their extensive network of cycling routes, however, the city received a zero score in terms of bike availability, as its bike sharing program was discontinued in 2021.
Just missing out on being in the top five, Manchester came in sixth place (7.43), scoring highly for its cyclist safety, bike shops and bike sharing schemes. However, Manchester’s score was let down predominantly by its cycle routes and its bike theft rate.
The most cycle-friendly cities in the UK
1. Norwich (10.0)
2. Newcastle (9.53)
3. Belfast (9.28)
4. Nottingham (9.09)
5. Glasgow (8.02)
6. Manchester (7.43)
7. Cardiff (6.75)
8. Plymouth (5.28)
9. Edinburgh (4.42)
10. Bristol (3.19)
11. Brighton (2.28)
12. Southampton (1.61)
13. Liverpool (1.36)
14. Leeds (0.78)
15. Sheffield (0.68)
16. Birmingham (0.66)
17. London (0.0)
Looking to the future, Manchester may have secured sixth position, but the city is making substantial investments of £1.5 billion into the Bee Network. This initiative aims to develop an extensive network of 1,800 miles of cycling and walking routes by 2028 – meaning it’s likely this city will make its way up the rankings in the coming years.
To accompany the index, Saga commissioned a survey of over 2,000 adults to examine different generations’ perspectives on cycling and provide additional insights. The insurance company’s results found that 48% of those in the North West would agree their city is well equipped for cyclists and non-cyclists in the North West were the most likely region to say they would take up cycling as hobby or transport (30%).