As part of its role in monitoring transport trends and the take-up of more environmentally friendly ways to get from A to B, the Infrastructure Department has installed an automatic cycle counter at First Tower near the Lookout Beach Café.
It operates all day, every day of the year and counts cyclists each time one passes.
The figures show that, in April, 50,865 cycles were recorded, compared to 32,394 in the same month in 2016, 41,739 in 2017, 29,109 in 2018 and 36,063 last year.
In May, the figure remained above 50,000, 4,000 more than in the same period in 2019.
An Infrastructure Department report explained: ‘This is the majority of cyclists in this location, as it is on the natural line that cyclists take through the area. The more casual cyclist who meanders around the front of the café will not be detected by this system, so there is a small understatement of the numbers that use the route.’
Last month, Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis revealed that he was considering whether to remove some of the parking spaces in the laybys along Victoria Avenue to create more space for cycling and walking.
The announcement follows similar moves around the world, a consequence in part of changes in behaviour as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The JEP is publishing the figures today to mark World Bicycle Day. Also in today’s edition, members of pressure group Cycle 4 Jersey, which advocates for an extended network of cycle routes as part of a more sustainable transport strategy, respond to the current situation and promote the benefits of cycling.
On page 15, David Postlethwaite agues that the Island should seize the opportunity to improve the provision for cyclists and make cycling more accessible.
He says: ‘As a small island, with inherently short distances to cover, a large proportion of our travel could be done by bike. We already have some great cycle paths and the basis for a world-beating piece of cycling infrastructure, in the form of a green-lanes network. This network is incomplete, and its rules of priority in favour of cyclists, walkers and riders are seldom enforced. But Jersey has the foundations for a cost-effective and extensive active travel network.’
He adds that much more needs to be done and cites the example of countries across Europe.
‘If Jersey is going to seize this opportunity to kickstart its own cycling revolution, there needs to be urgent political commitment and vision of the type seen across the continent,’ he argues.
On page 16, fellow C4J member Simon Finch extols the virtues of cycling and urges people to get in the saddle and explore the Island.
- On Saturday, the JEP launches a new eight-page cycle supplement full of cycling tips, information and routes for all ages to help readers get out and about on two wheels.
