Originally Posted by
Machka
I'm a female who has been riding on city streets since she was 6 years old. I grew up in a cycling family (both parents cycled). Bicycles are vehicles of the road, and therefore, that's where we all rode. And not only my family, but all my friends as well.
I don't think it is the lack of cycling infrastructure that discourages females from cycling ... I think it is the parents, the education system, society.
Cycling is not seen as "lady-like" ... and if you insist on being a female who cyclists, the appropriate bicycle is an upright step-through with a cute basket and flowers and ribbons so that you can maintain some semblance of being "lady-like". Females are not seen as being strong enough to cycle ... this came up in the early days of the Paris-Brest-Paris where it was thought that if a female cycled that distance she would surely die.
But some of us women know all of that is just rubbish. We don't have to be "lady-like" in today's society and we are indeed strong enough to ride long distances and maintain a decent speed. We just need to get the word out.
I ride 'step throughs' because I'm short and I wear skirts. I'd nut myself on most diamond frames and fall over trying to get my skirt off the seat tip. Been there, done it, no thanks. As for being strong enough... why is that even an issue? We aren't riding the Tour de France here... we are running errands! There is more to it then just strength, too. My fiancée can dead lift me but won't ride in the road unless he has too. He has a lazy eye and that interferes with his depth perception just enough so that he is uncomfortable in the road.
And, again you'd be the exception to the rule. MOST women do not want to ride in the streets in specialized spandex outfits on hunched over race-style bikes. I fall right into the 'most women' crowd. I have no interest in fighting with cars for my 'right' to the road, breathing exhaust and looking like my clothes came from a colorblind person's closet from 1983. I just want to go to the store and maybe even enjoy the ride. Tall order, i know.
The data backs me up here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/ny...anted=all&_r=0
But city officials in Portland have been able to greatly increase the number of female cyclists. In 1992, male cyclists outnumbered female cyclists four to one; by 2006, the ratio shrank to two to one. City officials credit a program that offers clinics for women on bicycle maintenance that has drawn roughly 800 people since it began seven years ago and organizes female group rides in the summer. But Roger Geller, Portland’s bicycle coordinator, said that the rise in female cyclists could largely be attributed to creating safer lanes for all riders.
“It’s happened as the quality of our bike lane network has improved, as people have perceived the network to be safer,” Mr. Geller said.
There is a reason for that:
NYC DOT - Bicyclists - Cycling safety and women cycling
Street Safety Facts: DOT’s landmark
Pedestrian Safety Study & Action Plan found that
streets with bike lanes are 40% less deadly for pedestrians and
streets with protected bike paths see injury rates drop by up to 50% for everyone who uses the street. The growing bike network and protected paths make everyone safer.
New York currently has the safest streets in city history.
Increased Comfort = More Women Biking | League of American Bicyclists
- More than half of American women say more bike lanes and bike paths would encourage them to start or increase their riding
- Better facilities get more women on wheels: 94% of women in Portland said separated bike lanes made their ride safer
- Studies in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New Orleans all show dramatic increases in female ridership after the installation of bike lanes
- Women will travel an additional 5 minutes more than men to access a bicycle facility
- Feeling comfortable is one of the most important factors in encouraging women to ride — and it's not just bike lanes...
And still more...
Women on bikes encourage biking safety and in turn, bike lanes or other bike infrastructure.
Public Biking and Female Visibility | Sustainable Cities Collective
Bike Shares bring more women riders..
Why bike sharing could get more women riding in Seattle | Crosscut.com
And so it goes. You build it, they will come.