Oxford City Council has announced that new census data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), reveals that the majority of its population commutes to work either by walking or cycling or through use of public transport.
The data comes from the census that took place in March 2021; at the time, a ‘stay at home’ rule was in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The data shows that, of those who were commuting to work, 38.8% of Oxford residents aged 16 and over were using active travel to do so. Of this group, 17.2% commuted by bicycle and 21.6% by foot.
The data also shows that even during the pandemic, of those who were commuting to work, 14.5% of Oxford residents did so by bus, minibus or coach.
The council reports that this is significantly more than across Oxfordshire where, during the pandemic, 20.8% walked or cycled and 5.6% took the bus.
What’s more, across England 14.2% of commuters chose active travel and 6.2% took the bus.
“The new ONS data will not come as a surprise to people who live and work in Oxford,” said Susan Brown, councillor and leader of Oxford City Council.
“The city council, alongside Oxfordshire County Council, is also focused on reducing congestion.
“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.”
Moreover, ONS figures also showed the number of Oxford residents who commuted to work by driving a car or a van, and revealed the numbers are lower in Oxford (38.2%) compared to the rest of Oxfordshire (64.7%) and England (65.0%).
