The table compares how the mode of travel changed in England during the years 1985 to 2000.
Overall, the total distance traveled by individuals rose significantly over the period, with car travel remaining the dominant mode of transportation. In contrast, walking, cycling, and local bus journeys declined, while the use of taxis and long-distance bus travel experienced increases.
In 1985, car travel was the most common mode, with each person covering 3,199 miles on average. By 2000, this figure had risen significantly to 4,806 miles, surpassing the total distance traveled across all transport modes in 1985. The figure for taxi travel went up more than threefold, from 13 to 42 miles. Despite this increase, it still remained the least used mode of transportation. Bicycle and long-distance bus travel showed almost similar trends, with 51 and 54 miles, respectively. However, bicycle use declined by around 20%, while long-distance bus journeys doubled to reach 124 miles, making them almost three times more popular than cycling by 2000.
In contrast, walking and local bus travel both experienced declines over the period, with the former dropping from 255 to 237 miles and the latter falling more markedly from 429 to 274 miles per person. Train travel showed an increase , rising from 289 to 366 miles, which overtook local bus usage by 2000. Meanwhile, the distance traveled by other modes grew steadily, climbing from 450 to 585 miles, which made this category the second most popular, following behind cars and considerably higher than train travel.