Request ID: FOI-0141-2324 Date published: 05 May 2023
You asked
Hi,
In November last year, you kindly updated the spreadsheet of your 25 active cycle counters under ref. FOI-1883-2223.
Could you please update these tables again.
Thanks
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0141-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 12th April 2023 asking for updated cycle counter data. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“In November last year, you kindly updated the spreadsheet of your 25 active cycle counters under ref. FOI-1883-2223.
Could you please update these tables again.”
I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
Please find attached an updated version of the spreadsheet previously supplied.
Note the baseline is a matched week in the financial year 2019/20.
Please also note the average weekday and weekend cycle counts aggregated across the ACC counters has changed from the data previously supplied. This is because the sample set of ATC’s currently used is 20 (currently and in the baseline) as opposed to the 25 ACC sensors used (to record current versus baseline cycle growth) back in 2020/21 in the previous spreadsheet. However, broadly the percentage difference in counts is similar to the previously supplied spreadsheet despite the reduction to 20 counters used in the sample.
This data is only used to look at aggregate trends i.e. percentage changes in the sample counts, because as pointed out in the notes page of the spreadsheet ACC sensors are old technology, using magnetic loops in the road, and we know the technology undercounts the actual number of cycles. As long as this phenomenon is the same in the baseline as current year, we can use the data still to look at changes in cycle growth. This is what this metric as supplied does.
For this reason the underlying cycling data is not supplied. It cannot be related to real world cycle counts at the level of ACC location. The metric of growth in cycling only makes sense when the data is aggregated to come up with an aggregate cycle growth metric.
Although not ideal, this is the best that can be offered at present as TfL do not currently have a stratified set of cycle counters in place that can provide more detailed cycle data on a representative London scale that can represent cycle counts on a 5 minute, hourly, daily, weekly or monthly level. Plans are in place to provide a network of cycle counters that will provide this level of data but this plan will not come into fruition before the end of 2023.
Our current high level accurate estimation of cycling is done on an annual basis using manual enumeration and these accurate pan-London results are available in the Travel in London Report published by TfL here:
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
