Mick Hartley

With data collated data from the 2011 UK census, Transport for London and Bike Share, the map (via Francis) breaks down cycle commuting across the capital:

Hackney, it turns out, forms the white-hot centre of the cycling revolution. On the full-size map, here (and click), you can see a list of the top 100 cycling neighbourhoods, and the top twelve are all in Hackney – and the two Islington neighbourhoods that creep in to the top fifteen are right over to the east, on the Hackney borders. 

Why the Hackney dominance? I'd guess it's a combination of three factors…

First, a lot of young professionals and City workers have moved here over the past decade or so, with the relatively cheap housing. Second, the transport links are crap, with no tube stations. And third, there are some decent back-street routes down into the City – down through De Beauvoir Town and Hoxton, for instance….and, most importantly, it's not far. Twenty minutes from Clissold Park to Bishopsgate. Even Docklands is just about reachable by bike. 

Still, I was surprised….