Bristol has been named as one of the best cities in the UK for cyclists. Narrowly beaten by Southampton, Bristol took second place in a new study.

The analysis, which is according to a study by bike insurance retailer ProtectMyBike, was calculated using a number of factors which would be crucial to a cyclist’s wellbeing. These included bike thefts, bike trails, air quality and cycling accidents.

Bristol apparently came out top when it came to good air quality, with low levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollution. It also has a good number of bike shops, which the study counted as 100, with only London having more at 300.

Researchers also counted 2,572 'bike trails', which again was only beaten by London (12,211). However Bristol recorded a fairly high number of bike accidents (474) and bike thefts (1,900) compared to other cities.

Southampton, which was ranked as the best city in the UK for cyclists, had a low average gradient allowing for easy cycling, as did Portsmouth, Cambridge and York. Plymouth recorded far less bike thefts (74) than any of the other cities in the study.

The worst city for cyclists in the UK was Wrexham. It had only 20 bike shops and the lowest number of bike trails (144) of all the cities studied.

A cycling expert at ProtectMyBike said: “As a cyclist, I’ve seen first hand the benefits of bike friendly cities. When cities make it easy and safe to ride a bike, people are more likely to do it.

“This comes with a number of benefits, from the environmental impact of reduced traffic congestion and improved air quality to the social benefits of creating a community of cyclists who are more likely to interact with each other, boosting mental wellbeing.”

The study ranked the cost of public transport, the number of bike repair shops and average weather conditions in each city. Bike thefts and accidents were calculated using Plumplot, while air pollution was analysed on IQ Air, while all the remaining statistics were collected using data from the Office of National Statistics.

Scores were averaged on population. The study recommended that cities should invest in bike trails, lanes and paths making it safe for people to ride bikes.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-named-second-best-city-8763128