British Social Attitudes 37

The National Travel Survey is used by the Government to develop its transport policy and make sure transport plans meet England's travel needs. We conduct the National Travel Survey every year. It is the only national source of information on where, why, how and how far people travel.
The latest National Travel Survey report was published in August 2023 by the Department for Transport.
People in England made 862 trips on average in 2022, about 17 trips per week each. This was an increase of 14% compared to 2021, but remained a decrease of 10% compared to 2019 (953 trips on average).
The average distance travelled in 2022 was 5,373 miles, a 24% increase compared to 2021 (4,329 miles on average) but a decrease of 17% compared to 2019 (6,500 miles on average). It serves to highlight the trend in distance travelled by people, which has been in decline since 2002.
On average, in 2022 people spent 324 hours travelling, an increase of 19% compared to 2021 (273 hours on average) but a 12% decrease compared to 2019 (370 hours on average).
In 2022, there were increases in trip rates amongst all transport modes compared to 2021, apart from cycling and London Underground trips which remained broadly similar. Trip rates for all transport modes were however still lower than 2019 (pre-pandemic) apart from walking trips, which saw an increase of 7% with 267 walking trips per person.
Children aged 0 to 16 made the highest proportion of trips using active transport modes such as walking and cycling in 2022 with 42%, an increase since 2021 with 38%. Those aged 17 to 20 made the smallest proportion of trips using active modes with 28%.
There were 15 cycling trips per person in 2022, which is similar to 2021 (15 trips per person) and 5% lower compared to 2019 (16 trips per person).
The most common trip purpose in 2022 was shopping with 151 trips per person, with a 14% increase compared to 2021, but a decrease of 16% compared to 2019. Commuting was the second most common trip purpose in 2022 with 119 trips per person, with a 19% increase compared to 2021 but a 15% decrease compared to 2019. This could reflect the increase in working from home and hybrid working during this time.
Average trips for all purposes increased compared to 2021 apart from day trips and other including just walk trips which decreased further compared to their all-time high in 2020.
Click on the links below to read the full report and the technical report.
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