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386 million trips were made on the National Cycle Network in 2008, Sustrans has revealed on the first day of Bike Week.
The sustainable transport charity said that it was the first time in the 14-year long history of the Network that it had seen more than one million journeys every day. Half were made by bike and half on foot, according to the charity.
Of the 386 million journeys, 17 million trips to school were made, while 96 million were made to workplaces. 134 million journeys were made by people that could have used a car, but instead chose to use the 12,000-mile long network.
"It is gratifying to see this increasing and sustained use of the National Cycle Network,” enthused Sustrans CEO Malcolm Shepherd.
But the charity chief criticised the lack of consistent funding allocated from the Government: “It is also frustrating because, in spite of the increasingly vital role it plays in the environmental and physical health of the UK, the Network remains the only nationally important travel network for which there is no obligation or consistent level of financial support for its maintenance or development.
"Yet we face a low carbon future, escalating fuel costs, and an obesity time-bomb that is set to devastate not just our health but also our economy. While the National Cycle Network is not the only solution to these issues, these figures surely prove it should sit high on the list.
"When we read that the National Cycle Network’s value for money far outweighs all other transport schemes, perhaps the Network and cycling and walking in general have earned the right to benefit from proper and consistent investment and promotion," Shepherd added.
