The new normal is here, and it means a lot of cycling on EuroVelo: 2023 traffic remains high

2023 has been another strong year for cycling on EuroVelo. With the newest figures from Eco-Counter’s network of automatic bicycle counters on EuroVelo routes, we can see that usage has grown 1% from January to September 2023 compared to last year, and 11% compared to the same period in 2019. On an annual basis, there has been growth on weekdays (+1.3%) and a stable evolution on weekends (+0.2%), indicating stronger usage of the network, especially for daily mobility.

This year, thanks to the partnership between ECF and Eco-Counter, we could add two new routes to the sample: EuroVelo 10 – Baltic Sea Cycle Route and EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail. The sample now includes 15 more automatic counters, installed by local authorities using Eco-Counter systems, bringing the total number to 195. In the future, we hope to be able to grow this sample and make it even more representative, as more counters are placed along the routes all around Europe.

Looking at individual routes, EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route has seen the highest growth by far on an annual basis, with traffic increasing by 15%. Despite a very cold spring and heatwaves during the summer, we saw growth on a majority of routes.

Compared to 2019, the picture is even clearer: EuroVelo 8 is again leading the dance, but there has been growth on all twelve routes between January and September, and on the majority of routes with double-digit figures. This clearly shows that the new normal after the pandemic features a lot more cycling on EuroVelo!

ECF and Eco-Counter joined forces in 2020 to publish EuroVelo Usage Monitoring reports. The detailed report, based on 2022 data, is available here. The next edition of the report will be published in early 2024. ECF is collecting different type of data demonstrating growth, including usage monitoring, in its EuroVelo Data Hub.

Article by Holger Haubold

Cover photo: Region of Murcia