Cars remain top UK travel choice

The number of households with cars has continued to rise

About 60% of journeys made last year were by car, and nearly a quarter of those were for trips of less than two miles, a government report has shown.

The Department for Transport (DfT) statistics also reveal a drop in car miles from 2005, alongside increased walking and use of public transport.

Despite this, the figures show a sustained rise in the number of cars.

In 2006, only 25% of households did not own a car, but in 1985/6, the figure was 38% of households.

Thousands of miles

In 1995/97, the number of households without a car stood at 30%.

Between 2005 and 2006, the average number of miles walked went up from 197 to 201, and the number of miles cycled rose from 36 to 39.

People travelled an average of 466 miles on mainline railways in 2006, compared with 461 miles in 2005 and 321 miles in the year 1995/7.

On average the total number of miles people travelled last year within Britain, including trips by air, was 7,133 miles.

The time they spent travelling amounted to 383 hours.