More people in Herefordshire having been taking up cycling, with some getting on their bikes at least once a week.

Figures from the Active Lives Survey from Sport England, which have been produced by the Department for Transport, show 9.8 per cent of people in Herefordshire were cycling at least once a week in the year to November 2023, up from 8.7 per cent the year before.

In 2019, before the pandemic, 11.9 per cent of Herefordshire locals said they were making trips on their bikes at least once a week.

The county came in slightly below the national statistic of 10.1 per cent of people reported cycling weekly, up from 9.3 per cent the previous year, but still below pre-pandemic levels, when 11.2 per cent did so.

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Amanda Martin, head of the Hereford Transport Forum said she believes more people are realising that cycling is a good choice for short trips around the city, and that every trip made on a bike can make a difference to congestion and “traffic blight” affecting Hereford.

Amanda Martin, pictured in St Owen Street with her Dutch-made 'bakfiets' adult-and-child bike (picture: LDRS)

Mrs Martin said that within the city it is a case of "build it and they will come" and that where bike infrastructure is well-designed, convenient, and safe, more residents will use it . She believes this would result in safer roads, "pleasanter streets" and less traffic.

She added that if locals were able to raise the amount of trips made via bikes around the city to around 33 per cent, she believes there would be no congestion, and would free up road space for those who need to use a vehicle.

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"The car would still be the main mode of transport but there would be enough people cycling to eliminate gridlock and change the vibe in the city.  

“We have a long way to go to catch up with our European neighbours.   

"It's for government and Herefordshire Council to deliver the kind of high quality infrastructure we need to make change possible. 

"Unfortunately,  so far, we're not seeing that in the schemes delivered or coming forward, either in quality or quantity.   

"At the moment people are cycling in spite of the infrastructure, not because of it, but I truly believe that with some vision and determination, Herefordshire could be a beacon of good practice in the UK,” she said.