The latest Active Travel Annual Report reveals a shift in people’s travel habits and that the Bee Network is starting to enable more people to walk or use public transport rather than drive.
In the last five years, Greater Manchester has seen the proportion of people walking short journeys increase from 52 per cent to 57 per cent, while the proportion of short journeys being taken by car is down from 41 per cent to 36 per cent.
Walking, wheeling and cycling – also known as active travel – is an important part of the Bee Network and often the mode that links people’s journeys, such as walking or wheeling to the bus stop, tram stop or train station.
In 2023, a third of all trips made by Greater Manchester residents in 2023 were made by people walking, wheeling or cycling.
Meanwhile, half of residents surveyed in 2024 agreed that Greater Manchester’s transport network encourages them to walk or cycle as part of their trips, marking a significant increase from 2023. This correlates to the ongoing work to improve crossings, footways and junctions across Greater Manchester.
The increase in walking mirrors an increase in public transport use, including an uptick of five per cent on bus travel since the start of bus franchising in 2023 and record-breaking patronage on Bee Network trams last year.
Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey said: “Our ambition is for the Bee Network to enable people to make more of their journeys by public transport, walking, wheeling or cycling. The latest Active Travel Annual Report reveals positive signs that this is starting to be the case as more people are choosing to walk rather than drive their shortest journeys.
“These include focusing more funding on walking to address the satisfaction issues picked up on in the report and enable better links to public transport journeys.
“Working alongside our partners in the local authorities the shared ambition remains that we build a fully integrated and accessible public transport and active travel system that’s safe and well maintained so that people can benefit from a cost effective and convenient way to travel for every type of journey.”
The Active Travel Annual Report sets out the next phase of priorities to enable even more people to walk, wheel and cycle as part of their day-to-day journeys.
In order to increase an uptake in cycling, TfGM will work with local authorities to continue to build a network of connected routes, known as a strategic cycle network.
