Bristol City Council has reached a major travel ‘tipping point’ with driving to work no longer the norm for the under 40s, research suggests.

Some 57% of residents in the city now use other modes of transport to commute to work including walking, cycling and public transport – figures from the 2011 Census Topic Report highlight.

More people in Bristol are thought to travel to work by bicycle or foot than in any other council in England and Wales.

Cycling to work in the region has almost doubled in the last ten years, yet almost three quarters of those who use bikes for the work commute are men.

Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson said: ‘I am delighted that this new report shows we have reached a tipping point in terms of Bristol attitudes to travel to work. With well over half of commuters under-40 not using a car to travel to work we have real hope that travel by bus, cycle and foot are becoming the modes of choice.

‘The city’s investment in cycling and other transport improvements is clearly paying dividends, but we must keep working to improve things yet further. It is totally unacceptable that three times as many people die in extreme discomfort in Bristol due to conditions linked to road traffic emissions than do so from the much more visible road accidents.’

Ian Barrett, South West Director for transport campaigners Sustrans added: ‘This is fantastic news for the health of Bristol’s people and prosperity.

‘Increasing numbers of people walking, cycling and catching buses means that Bristol can continue to grow at the same time as improving our environment by reducing the impacts of heavy traffic on our streets, our safety and our air quality.’