Glasgow named third in UK cities with the most bike commuters, according to study

A new study by  Cartridge Save set out to uncover just that. They analysed over 100 towns and cities across the UK to find out where cycling is truly taking off as a mainstream mode of commuting.

The rankings were built using the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), specifically looking at the percentage of employed individuals in England and Wales who listed cycling as their main way of getting to work. 

To give a full UK picture, comparable figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland were pulled from their respective national statistics bodies, Scottish Government Statistics and NISRA, and combined to form a final league table of the country’s biggest bike-commuting hotspots.

Another Scottish city made an appearance in the top three, with Glasgow ranking third. Here, 6.00% of commuters choose bikes over buses or cars. For a city known for its industrial roots and unpredictable weather, Glasgow’s embrace of cycling marks a noticeable cultural shift and one that’s being fuelled by ongoing investment in bike lanes and cycle-friendly city planning.

Edinburgh leads the pack at 10.00%, with Scotland’s capital proving to be a model for green commuting. Cambridge remains a cycling powerhouse with 8.13% of its workforce using bikes to get to work, while Oxford takes fourth place at 4.77%, showing its commitment to reducing car usage. York continues to push for sustainable commuting with 3.45% of residents cycling in.

Hull's figure of 3.06% earns it sixth place, while Gosport surprises with 2.97%, proving that even smaller coastal towns can keep up with the cycling trend. Norwich and Bristol follow at 2.81% and 2.64% respectively, both long-time advocates for active travel. Portsmouth rounds out the top 10 list with 2.47%, showing that bike commuting is gaining traction in southern cities too.

Not every city is in love with the idea of cycling just yet. At the other end of the table, Brentwood in Essex ranks lowest, with just 0.23% of commuters travelling by bike. Also among the least bike-friendly cities are Bradford (0.28%), Blackburn (0.29%), and Barnsley (0.30%) – areas that could potentially benefit from improved infrastructure and cycling awareness.

Others joining the bottom ten include Durham (0.31%), Oldham (0.31%), Rotherham (0.34%), Bolton (0.36%), Rochdale (0.36%), and Dudley (0.39%). Whether it's down to geography, lack of investment, or just cultural preferences, these towns and cities have some catching up to do when it comes to pedal-powered commuting.

Top 10 list of UK cities with the most bike commuters: