Active Travel Booms in Greater Manchester with Over 700 Million Trips Recorded in 2025

Greater Manchester residents are walking and cycling more than ever before, with more than 700 million active travel trips recorded in 2025, according to new figures published by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

The findings are set out in TfGM’s latest Active Travel Annual Report, which shows strong growth in walking and cycling, particularly in areas where new infrastructure has been delivered. The report highlights clear evidence that high-quality investment is driving behaviour change across the city region.

On the Chorlton Cycleway, cycle trips increased by 62% in 2025 compared with 2021. Meanwhile, Oxford Road has seen one of the most dramatic shifts, with around 7,000 cyclists using the route each day in October 2025 – up from just 2,000 daily cyclists before the introduction of a segregated cycleway.

Overall, active travel trips across Greater Manchester exceeded 700 million in 2025, continuing a steady upward trend since 2021, when just over 510 million trips were recorded. TfGM notes that this growth has been supported by a post-pandemic recovery in travel demand, alongside population growth across the region.

Active travel now accounts for around 33% of all trips made by Greater Manchester residents. The long-term ambition is for 50% of all journeys to be made by walking, cycling and public transport by 2050, forming the backbone of a more sustainable and healthier transport system.

Looking ahead, further investment is planned in footpaths, junctions, crossings and cycling facilities. These improvements will ultimately deliver around 2,700km of Bee Network routes for walking, wheeling and cycling across Greater Manchester.

Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey welcomed the findings, saying:“It’s great to see the progress being reported in the 2025 Active Travel Annual Report. The goal is to enable greater choice in how people make their journeys, with walking and cycling acting as the glue that binds all the modes of the Bee Network together.

“This is demonstrated by the fact that 90% of people walk as part of their public transport journeys. Walking is also central to the Mayor’s commitment on School Streets, and good progress has been made during 2025 towards the ambition of delivering 100 permanent School Streets by 2028.”

TfGM says the report underlines the importance of continued investment in active travel infrastructure, with the results showing that when safe, accessible routes are delivered, people are increasingly choosing to walk and cycle as part of everyday life.