Bridging the Gender Gap in Cycling
Despite Women making up half the New York City population, data shows that women are just almost a quarter of all bike riders. This disparity in ridership by gender is also pronounced across other cities like Chicago and Boston. If we are to build an equitable biking network in our cities we have to ask, are we doing enough for women?
A study by Professor Jennifer Dill from Portland State University showed that one of the biggest obstacles to more women cycling is safety. City streets are specially unwelcoming to women when we do not provide protected space for them to feel at ease and safe from aggressive car drivers.
Although cities have started to implement more miles of protected bike lanes, we need to keep raising awareness of this gender issue. To truly solve this issue at a national level we will need to get multiple levels of government involved to refocus their attention to this difference. As long as the data shows a great disparity in cyclist genders on our streets, we will have to keep demanding for better transit solutions that are welcoming and safe for everyone, regardless of sex.
