Riding a bike can offer significant health benefits.
It can reduce physical inactivity, a leading cause of a million deaths yearly in Europe. Cycling can also reduce air pollution and mitigate climate change.
According to UCLA, stepping out of your car and shifting to biking can reduce a person’s carbon emissions from transportation by 67%.
But how can we encourage more people to take up cycling, especially in urban areas? A study in Melbourne shows that there is only one woman for every two male cyclists in the city.
You may wonder why fewer women are taking up cycling, the reasons behind this, and, more importantly, how cities can increase the number of women riding their bikes daily.
A study revealed the factors that prevent women from riding their bikes in cities. A study by Monash University’s Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research Group shows a 2:1 male-to-female ratio for cycling in greater Melbourne.
Government News reports that Dr Pearson surveyed 717 people across ten Melbourne Local Government Areas (LGAs) to learn about the factors that prevent or encourage women from riding their bikes. She was surprised to learn about the stark gender differences regarding the barriers that women in the survey reported.
While these women reported the factors that hinder them from cycling in cities, 77% expressed interest in riding a bike, suggesting a huge potential to grow the number of women cyclists.
The study identifies these prohibitive factors for women to take up cycling:
First, women feel that urban cycling infrastructure is built with male commuters in mind. The city builds cycle infrastructure in areas with high cyclist volumes, but this needs to consider women’s cycling patterns. A separate cycle infrastructure for local trips and women-only bike workshops will help women feel safer to bike.
Second, unlike men, women are uncomfortable riding alongside motorists or traffic and prefer protected bike lanes or off-road paths. They feel this could prevent collisions with vehicles and any unpleasant encounters with motor vehicles.
Third, women need more confidence in buying, maintaining, and fixing a bike, especially during a trip. For example, in the case of a flat tire, they would not know how to fix it. Some of them have reached out to their local councils for bike mechanic courses, but often, these were also run by men for men.
Lastly, women would want to cycle with their kids in protected bike lanes. They are also concerned with the lack of connectivity between available infrastructure suitable for riding with children, which means they must find alternative, safer routes.
The study says that well-lit areas can encourage more women to take cycling.
Climate change is impacting our lives and infrastructure, while rapid urbanization is also exacerbating the effects of climate change. Mitigating their consequences would require a change in behavior and lifestyle, to which sustainability is the key.
Cycling and walking are the cleanest ways to get around the city; hence, the IPCC identifies it as a solution to ensure a sustainable world. But to encourage more people to take up cycling, governments need to identify and address the barriers.
Taking a broad and more diverse approach to understanding infrastructure needs provides more certainty that the infrastructure will be “fit for purpose” as our societies adapt to current and future challenges.
Source:
Skatssoon, J. (2023 May 1). Cycling infrastructure ignoring needs of women. Government News. Retrieved from https://www.governmentnews.com.au/cycling-infrastructure-ignoring-needs-of-women/
How Riding A Bike Benefits the Environment (n.d.) Retrieved from https://transportation.ucla.edu/blog/how-bike-riding-benefits-environment
Cycling, climate change and COP26 (2021, November 01) Retrieved from https://www.uci.org/article/cycling-climate-change-and-cop26/3oUMLH9P6wflNV2HGQR1sz
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