Leeds named one of the least bike-friendly cities in the UK in new study

Whether it’s cycling to work, to the shop or for exercise, good bike lanes and trails are essential to keep cyclists safe.

But in a new study by Idealo, Leeds comes in last when looking at bike-friendly cities around the UK. 

The study looked at the number of road biking trails, road accidents per local authority, average yearly temperature and average yearly rainfall as well as number of people that cycle in the UK’s 30 most populated cities.

It revealed that Leeds doesn't have a single dedicated road biking trail on offer, and that just three percent of the population choose to bike at least three times a week.

Leeds also saw 16,258 road accidents over the last five years, which is more than any other city in the bottom five.

Combined with 162.7mm of annual rainfall, Leeds secures its place as the least bike-friendly city in the UK, tightly followed by neighbouring Bradford, Glasgow, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent.

Topping the list as the most bike-friendly cities in the UK are Bristol, followed by Reading, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea and London.