Ridgeway Traffic Count Results
On 1, 2 and 4 August 2026, volunteers from Goring Gap Active travel carried out a survey of walkers and cyclists at the end of the unsurfaced section of the Ridgeway in Rectory Road, Streatley.
The purpose of the survey was to get an idea of the number of people using the Ridgeway on typical summer days (Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday). Many Ridgeway users also travel across the River Thames to or from Goring, making use of the cafes, pubs and accommodation there, so the survey should give an insight into the impact the Ridgeway has on the villages.
As well as being part of a long-distance through route, the Ridgeway west of Streatley is also a significant local traffic generator. The data obtained will be fed into the forthcoming Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure plan for the Goring Gap area of South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.
There are few published statistics on the numbers of cyclists and walkers using the Ridgeway. A Google search returned details of an academic study using data collected in 1999. This estimated that 75% of users were walkers or joggers and 15% cyclists. We think this seriously underestimates the number of cyclists, because of the following changes in the last few years:
- An increase in the number of people cycling during and since Covid
- The popularity of gravel bikes, with cyclists switching from lightweight road bikes to these because of the poor state of the roads and perceived dangers of motor traffic
- The promotion of off-road leisure routes such as King Alfred’s Way and the Great Chalk Way.
Preliminary Results
The graphs show the results of the traffic count part of the survey, and covers all the cyclists and walkers passing the survey station between 8 am and 6 pm each day. Origin – Destination data was also collected from those people willing to stop and answer a few questions. The analysis will be posted here once it is complete.
Points to note from the graphs are
- Westbound is towards Avebury/Overton Hill, Eastbound towards Goring
- The large number of walkers westbound on Saturday morning includes a substantial number heading to The Bell pub in Aldworth. Many took the Ridgeway en route to the pub, then returned by one of the more direct footpaths, which do not go through the survey site. There is some evidence that walkers on Sunday did a similar route the other way around (but we don’t know why).
- Saturday westbound cyclist numbers were boosted by a group of around 20 cyclists en route from London to Bristol. They had camped Friday night at Ridgeway campsite near Ipsden. Some got up earlier than others, so they came through the survey station in a number of small groups spread out over a few hours.
- Higher numbers of both cyclists and walkers westbound Saturday morning and eastbound Sunday afternoon highlight the role of Goring and Streatley as a location for starting or finishing a weekend trip, or for being a staging point for multi-day journeys.