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Scottish cities

Travel to work, Scottish cities, 2011

Method of travel to work or studyThe chart above illustrates the different ways children and adults get to work or study. 

Travel by car, either driving or as a passenger, is the predominant commuting method in all the cities. Edinburgh has the lowest level of car use and the highest proportion of bus use and cycling, while Glasgow has the highest proportion of commuters who travel by train. 

Notes

The figures above are based on all people aged four and over who are studying, or aged 16 to 74 in employment the week before the Census. A small proportion of four and five year olds (a total of 11,876 in Scotland) are excluded who were reported as being in full-time education but for whom no information on their place of study or method of travel to study was provided.

Trends in walking to work or study in selected Scottish cities, 2001-2011

Walking to work study Scot Cities 2001 2011Overall in Scotland, there was a reduction in the percentage of commuters walking to work or study between 2001 and 2011, from 23.4% to 20.8%. In three of the selected cities commuting on foot did rise – in Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh – while in Glasgow the percentage of commuters who walked reduced from 26.8% to 25.1%.

Trends in cycling to work or study in selected Scottish cities, 2001-2011
Cycling to work study Scot Cities 2001 2011Overall in Scotland, there was an increase in the percentage of commuters cycling to work or study between 2001 and 2011, from 1.3% to 1.5%. In all four cities commuting by bicycle rose, albeit from a generally very low base level. In Glasgow, the percentage of commuters who cycled increased from 1% to 1.6%, representing a rise of 66%.

Notes

The data are sourced from the 2001 and 2011 Censuses and exclude people who usually work or study at home.  

A GCPH report, Pedestrian and cyclist casualty trends in Scotland, as well as providing a detailed analysis of casualty trends, outlines trends in modes of travel to work and study in Scotland (see Chapter 4 and Appendix A). 

Further reading under ‘Travel to work’