FEWER people were cycling on the roads last year than in 2019, new figures show.

A cycling charity has called for greater funding for environmentally-friendly travel as cycling rates remain below pre-pandemic levels across England.

The Active Lives Survey from Sport England is used to assess how much exercise people are getting across the country.

Figures from the survey, compiled by the Department for Transport, show 14% of people in Craven were cycling at least once a month in the year to November 2022 – a fall from 15.4% in 2019.

Across England, 16.1% of people said they biked once a month in 2019 – this has since fallen to 13.1%.

Cycling UK called the figures disheartening.

Duncan Dollimore, head of campaigns at the charity, said: "This should be a wake-up call for a government that's slashed dedicated funding for cycling and walking by more than two thirds, and has been told in crystal clear terms by the National Audit Office that it can’t meet its own targets to increase levels of cycling without substantially increasing investment."

Provisional data from the Department for Transport – taken from traffic counts – shows 5% fewer bikes on the road in June 2023 than a year before.