This is a nonsense article based on a research paper that compared transport data from completely different years over a 20-year period. The data relating to Birmingham dates from 2001 – that’s 23 years ago! To write an article about Birmingham using data from 2001, making a ridiculous claim that Birmingham is the least “walkable” city outside the USA, when the data doesn’t even support this, does beg the question whether this article should be pulled.
The article refers to and quotes from an Economist article published 9th May 2024. This Economist article used data from the research paper called Complexity Science Hub; “The ABC of mobility”, by R. Prieto-Curiel and J.P. Ospina, Environment International, 2024. Accessible from https://csh.ac.at/publication/the-abc-of-mobility/
The research paper looked at the different modes of transport residents used to commute to work. The research did not look at how “walkable” a city was, as the title of this Birmingham Dispatch article implies. The research paper instead calculated the transport methods that city residents used to commute to work.
The data was gathered from completely different years across a 20-year span. For example, the data for Birmingham was from 2001, while the data for London was from 2020. So, this report is using data that is 23 years old for Birmingham and comparing it with more recent data from other cities.
879 cities across the world were examined, of which 22 cities from the United Kingdom.
The different modes of transport calculated for commuting were:
Walking
Cycling
Motorbykes
Active (ie Walking + Cycling)
Bus
Car
What this data showed was as follows:
Birmingham (using data from 2001) had the lowest number of residents commuting to work by walking: 1%. This does not mean Birmingham is the least “walkable” city in the UK, it just means Birmingham residents have chosen another method to commute to work, of which using the bus is quite high compared to other cities.
Sheffield (using data from 2010) had the lowest number of residents commuting to work by cycling: 1%. Birmingham (using date from 2001) was ranked 9th lowest at 1.1%
Edinburgh (using data from 2019) had the highest number of residents commuting to work by bus: 44.6%. Birmingham (using data from 2001) was ranked 7th highest at 26.9%
Wrexham (using data from 2011) had the highest number of residents commuting to work by car: 83%. Second place went to Manchester on 71% and third place went to Birmingham (using data from 2001) on 70.96%
So, in conclusion. This was a nonsense article based on research that tried to compare data from different years over a 20-year span. The ridiculous claim that Birmingham is the least walkable city outside of the USA was not even mentioned in the research paper and the data for Birmingham is over 23 years old.
It follows that it is ridiculous to come to any conclusion about the current state of commuting in Birmingham using this data.
Chingas, I came here simply to say that a study based on research done in 2019 has absolutely no relevance to the situation in 2024 after a large number of people’s commuting habits changed forever during 2020, I didn’t realise the study was so fundamentally flawed as to be fake news!
I walk to work, from one suburb to another, because the buses are so unreliable as they're snarled up in traffic. I don't know if I'd walk if I worked in the city centre, though! When people hear about my walking (it's about 3.5 miles each way), people are surprised. I do it in all weathers, I just make sure I'm dressed appropriately. In rain and snow, it's actually more reliable because the traffic is even worse when the weather's bad!
The city centre is a good size for walking, I think. It's quite far for me, though - it works out at about 4 or 4.5 miles. My partner walked it down to the tram stop, then on into town!
I live in the city center and as it is fairly small, it’s really easy to walk through. I love having access to shops, cinema, cafés, restaurants and much more just by walking!
This is a nonsense article based on a research paper that compared transport data from completely different years over a 20-year period. The data relating to Birmingham dates from 2001 – that’s 23 years ago! To write an article about Birmingham using data from 2001, making a ridiculous claim that Birmingham is the least “walkable” city outside the USA, when the data doesn’t even support this, does beg the question whether this article should be pulled.
The article refers to and quotes from an Economist article published 9th May 2024. This Economist article used data from the research paper called Complexity Science Hub; “The ABC of mobility”, by R. Prieto-Curiel and J.P. Ospina, Environment International, 2024. Accessible from https://csh.ac.at/publication/the-abc-of-mobility/
The raw data used in the research paper can be downloaded from https://github.com/rafaelprietocuriel/ModalShare/blob/main/ModalShare.csv
The research paper looked at the different modes of transport residents used to commute to work. The research did not look at how “walkable” a city was, as the title of this Birmingham Dispatch article implies. The research paper instead calculated the transport methods that city residents used to commute to work.
The data was gathered from completely different years across a 20-year span. For example, the data for Birmingham was from 2001, while the data for London was from 2020. So, this report is using data that is 23 years old for Birmingham and comparing it with more recent data from other cities.
879 cities across the world were examined, of which 22 cities from the United Kingdom.
The different modes of transport calculated for commuting were:
Walking
Cycling
Motorbykes
Active (ie Walking + Cycling)
Bus
Car
What this data showed was as follows:
Birmingham (using data from 2001) had the lowest number of residents commuting to work by walking: 1%. This does not mean Birmingham is the least “walkable” city in the UK, it just means Birmingham residents have chosen another method to commute to work, of which using the bus is quite high compared to other cities.
Sheffield (using data from 2010) had the lowest number of residents commuting to work by cycling: 1%. Birmingham (using date from 2001) was ranked 9th lowest at 1.1%
Edinburgh (using data from 2019) had the highest number of residents commuting to work by bus: 44.6%. Birmingham (using data from 2001) was ranked 7th highest at 26.9%
Wrexham (using data from 2011) had the highest number of residents commuting to work by car: 83%. Second place went to Manchester on 71% and third place went to Birmingham (using data from 2001) on 70.96%
So, in conclusion. This was a nonsense article based on research that tried to compare data from different years over a 20-year span. The ridiculous claim that Birmingham is the least walkable city outside of the USA was not even mentioned in the research paper and the data for Birmingham is over 23 years old.
It follows that it is ridiculous to come to any conclusion about the current state of commuting in Birmingham using this data.
Chingas, I came here simply to say that a study based on research done in 2019 has absolutely no relevance to the situation in 2024 after a large number of people’s commuting habits changed forever during 2020, I didn’t realise the study was so fundamentally flawed as to be fake news!
I walk to work, from one suburb to another, because the buses are so unreliable as they're snarled up in traffic. I don't know if I'd walk if I worked in the city centre, though! When people hear about my walking (it's about 3.5 miles each way), people are surprised. I do it in all weathers, I just make sure I'm dressed appropriately. In rain and snow, it's actually more reliable because the traffic is even worse when the weather's bad!
I live in the city centre and love it for its walkability. So does my dog!
The city centre is a good size for walking, I think. It's quite far for me, though - it works out at about 4 or 4.5 miles. My partner walked it down to the tram stop, then on into town!
I live in the city center and as it is fairly small, it’s really easy to walk through. I love having access to shops, cinema, cafés, restaurants and much more just by walking!