Edinburgh commuters choosing bicycles more than ever

A new study has shown that the popularity of cycling as a commuting method has more than doubled since 2021.

Spokes, a cycling campaign group, monitored key points in the city during the morning rush hour (8-9 am) and found that the percentage of total traffic made up by bikes is up at 19.2%, up from 8.9% in 2021.

This proportion, recorded by Spokes’ volunteers at Lothian Road and Forrest Road, decreased to around 12.3% from 12.30-1.30pm – still an increase on all years previous.

These totals are based on single-day snapshots, and are not statistically representative of an entire year, but publicly-available data from Cycling Scotland – which records for the entire year – has also shown a sharp rise in Edinburgh cycle usage in early-mid 2026.

A single day record of 2,568 cyclists on Leith Walk was set on 30th April, 2026 and the trend has been for much higher levels of cycling since the start of the year.

This has partly been down to the successful introduction of the Voi bike cycle hire scheme, long-term investment in active travel infrastructure and new cycle lanes across the city are thought to be the main driver.

It is also thought that price pressures on motorists, driven by increased fuel prices and the war in Iran, may be influencing the shift towards bicycles.

In their study, Spokes added: “It is possible that some motorists are beginning to try out cycling for their normal daily journeys, whether to work, or for shopping or lunch visits, because of concerns over petrol and other price rises – and the growing expectation of further rises on the way giving an incentive to break existing habits.

“This could help explain why bikes rose in Voi-less Porty as well as in the central area.”

Their count at Brighton Place recorded its highest-ever bike numbers across both time periods, with combined totals rising 15% from 94 to 108 and bike share climbing to 12.4% of all vehicles.

The study continues: “This theory gets further backing from the reduction we saw (below) in single-occupancy car use: are more people turning to car-sharing due to the same concerns over costs?”

Analysis by Spokes found that car numbers remained largely static or fell at most count points. Single-occupancy car use dropped to its lowest level since post-pandemic counting began — 73.4% in the morning and 63.9% at lunchtime, both record lows in the series.

Analysis by Ed Tissiman of Cycling Scotland automatic counter data from Picardy Place showed bike use growth had stalled through much of 2025 before resuming and then accelerating noticeably in April and May 2026.

The data for this year’s Spokes counts was collected on 12 May – the same day as previous years.