The Reading Cycle Campaign’s annual cycle census counts the number of cyclists entering 27 key junctions during the morning rush hour (7:30 – 9:00am). The census has taken place on the third Tuesday in June every year since 1994 to provide a unique dataset of cycle statistics for our town.
The count for 2015 saw a continued modest upward trend in the amount of cyclists on the road based on the average number of cyclists across the counted sites.
This year we saw a significant dip in the number of people using Reading bridge, which may have been due to the bridge strengthening works that took place over the summer, and a big increase in the number of cyclists using the Town Hall / Market Place route. In 2016 we will need to take into account the new route across the river created by the recently opened cycle / pedestrian bridge; it will be interesting to see how this diverts cyclists from the existing road bridges and also whether it generates more cycle journeys across the river.
Undertaking the census is a ‘big ask’ for a voluntary organisation and thanks again go to our loyal counters and to the census organiser Bruce Main.
