The West Midlands, once the heart of the UK car industry, is now the area where cycling to work is most popular, according to a survey.

As many as 69 per cent of regular cyclists in the West Midlands use their bikes to get to their workplace, the poll by insurance company Cycleguard found.

The survey was based on responses from 500 regular UK cyclists and 500 adults who had not cycled for 12 months or more.

In contrast, only one in five in cyclists Scotland and two in five in Wales and the East Midlands, where there were greater concerns about safety, pedalled to their workplace.

Adrian Scott, head of insurance company Cycleguard which commissioned the survey, said: “Cyclists from the West Midlands appear to be leading the pack when it comes to cycling to work and we will hopefully see more regions follow suit, particularly as the Government’s Cycle to Work scheme has reported an eight per cent year-on-year increase in people cycling to work across the UK.

A tube-style map of Birmingham's traffic-free cycle routes
A tube-style map of Birmingham's traffic-free cycle routes

“However, safety remains a key consideration for many, with a recent report highlighting road safety as the number one reason for people not cycling to work.

“We hope that as cities across the UK benefit from the Government’s recent £94 million investment in cycling, safety for cyclists will be considerably improved and more people will be encouraged to cycle to work.”

Earlier this year a Birmingham City Council bid to the Department for Transport’s Cycle City Ambition Grant was successful.

The city has been awarded £17 million of government funding which is further topped up by council cash to create an overall investment package worth £24.3million.

This will deliver the first phase of an ambitious 20-year plan to support cyclists across the city,through projects such as Bike North Birmingham and a Smart Network, Smarter Choices project.