Shared bikes help two-wheelers outnumber motor vehicles in the City of London

Source: Ebike Tips, City of London Corporation Image source: Ian O’Donnell, Unsplash

For the first time, there are now more bikes in traffic than motor vehicles in the City of London area of the UK capital city, with shared bikes significantly boosting the figures.

The data comes from the City of London Corporation’s most recent summer traffic survey, conducted on Thursday 3 July 2025, and published ahead of a meeting of the City’s Planning and Transport Committee. The committee’s latest report shows 44% more people cycling and 22% more walking and wheeling, compared to 2023.

The City has undertaken traffic surveys since 1999, and states in the latest publication, “Overall, growth in cycling has been sustained over time, with notable increases in recent years, while motor vehicle volumes have continued to trend downward. By summer 2025, cycling volumes slightly exceeded motor vehicle volumes at these sites, indicating a significant shift towards active travel.”

The chart detailing the trajectories of motor vehicle and cycle traffic in the City starkly demonstrates the general shift in travel behaviour from four wheels to two in the period since 1999.

The recorded cycle types are further broken down into four categories; here it is clear to see that the use of dockless hire bikes, from private operators such as Lime, has taken a substantial leap, surging to a total of 52,000 in 2025 compared to 23,100 in 2024. Cargo bikes are also significantly increasing their share of the mix, rising to 5,000 in 2025 from 2,100 in 2024. The public Santander hire bike scheme, managed by Transport for London, also saw a rise to 11,800, from 7,700 in 2024. Only private bikes saw a drop in use from 2024, to 100,900 compared to 106,500.

The Transport and Planning Committee report includes some detail on cargo bike grants and cargo bike share scheme, which is in the second year of a three-year delivery programme in partnership with the Zero Emissions Network.

“Through this network, cargo bike grants were given to four City of London businesses this year to support sustainable operations. A new public cargo bike share scheme was launched in November 2025. The bike is located on Fann Street and available for hire by residents and businesses. The Shakespeare pub looks after the bike and ensures the battery is fully charged. In the first four months, there have been 48 bookings, 114 hours of ride time and 360km travelled.”