Journeys by active travel

Scotland’s National Performance Framework (NPF) had included a ‘journeys by active travel’ indicator. Following the latest statutory review of the National Outcomes, and the subsequent Scottish Parliament inquiry, the Scottish Government has committed to a period of reform of the NPF. The current 11 National Outcomes are still in operation as is the duty on public bodies ‘to have regard’ to them. The NPF website has been archived and a reformed framework is expected to be launched in 2026.

49.6% of journeys under two miles were on foot in 2024. This compares to 51.3% in 2023. This decrease is not statistically significant at the 95% level. [Table TD4c and Figure 19]

A line chart showing the percentage of journeys under 2 miles where the main mode was walking. The percentage is fairly steady since 2012 around the 50% level.
Figure 19: Percentage of journeys under 2 miles by main mode, walking, 2012 to 2024

1.4% of journeys under five miles were by bicycle, compared to 2.1% in 2023. This decrease is statistically significant at the 95% level. [Table TD4d and Figure 20]

A line chart showing the percentage of journeys under 5 miles where the main mode was cycling. There was a slightly increasing trend 2012 to 2018. The percentage was highest in 2022 and 2023 following the COVID-19 pandemic, but has dropped by a third in 2024.
Figure 20: Percentage of journeys under 5 miles by main mode, cycling, 2012 to 2024