Oxford residents mainly commute via active travel or public transport

Most Oxford residents travel to work by walking, cycling or using public transport, according to new Census data.  

Research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed economic activity and work patterns across the UK, as well as commuting data. 

Based on the Census from March 2021, this shows that 38.8% of Oxford residents aged over 16 used were commuting via active travel, with 17% cycling and 21.6% walking to work.  

At the time a ‘stay at home’ rule was in place and even then, 14.5% were commuting by bus, minibus or coach.  

This is much higher than Oxfordshire, where 20.8% commuted by active travel and 5.6% by bus, and more than the England average – 14.2% used active travel and 6.2% travelled by bus.  

Only 38.2% of Oxford residents drive a car or van to work, significantly lower than in Oxfordshire (64.7%) and across England (65%).  

The news comes as Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council are working together to introduce a trial of traffic filters to six streets in the city which has received backlash after a misinformative article on the scheme went viral.  

Cllr Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council, said the data would not ‘come as a surprise’ to residents and would aid the local authority in reducing congestion. 

She added: ‘With so many people already commuting by active travel and public transport, even during the pandemic, this is useful data to help inform future transport strategies.’  

Active travel can various benefits for health, mental health and can cut carbon emissions considerably. National shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) is calling for councils to build bike sharing into their sustainable transport offering through proper funding and support.  

Photo by Suad Kamardeen