05 Mar Steadfast: Cycling and walking in the pandemic year 2020
The survey by WienerLinien in the pandemic year 2020 shows positive development for Vienna: 46% of all daily journeys were made by bike or on foot. Everyday life has changed profoundly. Familiar routes became suddenly obsolete, the radius of action diminished while cycling and walking increased. The Viennese made more than a third of their short trips on foot last year. The proportion of walking was 37% in 2020 (compared to 28% in 2019). This high proportion can be explained by the fact that the people were more often out and about in their residential area (shopping, walks, errands). The proportion of cycling also increased in 2020. Measured at the automatic counting points, cycling increased by 12% (compared to 2019). The share of cycling in the modal split increased from seven to nine percent in 2020. In the same period, the share of car use remained unchanged at 27% (same as in 2019). Due to Corona measures such as temporary curfew and home office, public transport has fallen sharply. In 2019 it was 38%, in 2020 it was 27%. It would be desirable to maintain this positive trend. It also agrees with initiatives set by the City of Vienna to popularize and promote cycling and walking. The crisis has made many of us feel the positive effect of physical exercise in everyday life.