Cycling in Manchester is proving more popular than ever after several records were smashed over the past month.

The cycle road on Oxford Road is one of the best-loved routes for cyclists with over 6,000 people were logged cycling there on nine separate days days in a three-week period between September and October.

The highest usage was on October 10 when 6,980 people were recorded seen cycling there -beating the previous record high for number of cyclists seen per day on the route of 5,862 in October 2019.

With cycling options improving, the council says work continues to try and make Manchester a zero-carbon city by 2038 and add cycleways as successful as the Oxford Road route.

"Another significant milestone has been hit as well, with the one millionth journey being recorded along the cycle lane on October 20 – one month earlier than the previous record. ," a council spokesperson said.

"It’s also a positive step in the right direction in terms of the city’s City Centre Transport Strategy, which aims for 90% of journeys to the city centre to be via public transport, walking or cycling by 2040," they added.

Greater Manchester is currently planning to create the greatest cycling and walking network in the United Kingdom, with 2,400 new crossings and 1,800 miles of safe paths connecting every neighbourhood.

On average, the transport network in Manchester is 15 per cent above the average in London. The council also says the launch of the Greater Manchester Cycle Hire scheme two years ago has proven a beneficial factor after more than 500,000 rides and 1.3 km of cycling journeys were recorded with high usage every day.

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport for Manchester City Council said: “The record-breaking weeks we have seen on the Oxford Road cycleway are wonderful to see. We have always said that infrastructure is the key to unlocking the potential our city has when it comes to walking and cycling.

“It’s very encouraging to see the sheer number of people using this cycleway, figures we hope to see replicated across our transport network as new cycleways are brought into use, and barriers which prevent people from walking or cycling are broken down.”

“Dame Sarah Storey, Active Travel Commissioner, added: “The Oxford Road scheme has created a well-connected and enhanced space not just for cycling but for walking and wheeling too, with safer crossing points, more greenery, better bus stops and places for people to sit.

“These record-breaking numbers show that if you build high-quality, safe active travel infrastructure, people will use it or, to put it simply, it works.

“Creating longer, well-connected active travel routes is a key recommendation of my Refreshed Active Travel Mission and I look forward to other new key corridors, such as the Chorlton Cycleway, opening soon and delivering similar impacts for people in Manchester.”

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