New study suggests 90% of women are put off cycling by common barriers.
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
New research from Lime entitled “Tackling the Gender Pedal Gap” has most women facing barriers to cycling, including poorly lit streets and isolated routes. The report claims that women in the UK are cycling almost half as much as men every month because of this.
Anti-social behaviour (36%) and fear of harassment from other road users (34%) were also listed as major deterrents for female cyclists. Only one in five women said they felt safe cycling alone at night and four times as many women as men (82%) said they view cars as a safer transport option when it’s dark.
The report also explored the changes women want on the roads to improve a sense of personal safety when cycling after dark. These included more dedicated cycle lanes, better-lit parking areas to finish their cycle and more parking areas near their homes.
Lime’s public affairs manager, Alice Pleasant, said the report identifies “substantial barriers” for women accessing cycling as a transport option, particularly at night: “We’re calling for solutions in three areas: infrastructure, integration with public transport and innovation.”
The Tackling the Gender Pedal Gap report lists five recommendations to improve women’s experiences of cycling:
- The government and local authorities should build upon existing work to deliver more cycling infrastructure and parking bays.
- Local authorities should also ensure there is street lighting on popular cycling routes and around parking bays.
- The government should work with local authorities and charities to introduce cycling lessons or refresher courses in secondary schools.
- Transport and mapping applications should introduce a feature to show well-lit routes home for cycling, with 66% of female cyclists saying they’d feel safer with this kind of map feature.
- Lime will explore new product features to improve personal safety, such as a ‘Follow My Ride’ feature which would allow women to share their cycle journey with loved ones.