Walking is at record levels but the car is still king

The English are walking record distances, official figures show - but charities have warned that more needs to be done to get people on their feet.

- Gwyn Topham

According to government data, the average walking journey increased in length last year, even as most other forms of day-to-day travel continued to lag behind pre-pandemic levels.

However, the figures show the Covid-era cycling boom continued to fizzle away, while the private car remained by far the most popular means of transport, leading experts to warn of a stark "mobility divide" in society.

According to the Department for Transport's national travel survey, which analyses trips by residents of England around Great Britain, the number of journeys across all modes of transport increased by 6% in 2023 compared with 2022.

Despite a significant recovery from the collapse in travel during the height of Covid restrictions in 202021, the average distance travelled remained 8% below the level in 2019 before the global health emergency.