The document summarizes research by Sustrans, a UK charity, on gender differences in cycling. It finds that fewer women cycle compared to men due to motivations like safety concerns and family responsibilities. Women are interested in cycling more if infrastructure improves, such as protected bike lanes. The research calls for addressing inequalities to encourage more cycling overall and make it inclusive of all genders.

1. Suzanne Motherwell and Tim Burns
Deputy Head of Research & Monitoring Unit +
Senior Policy and Partnerships Advisor
Sustrans

2. Cycling: reducing the gender gap
Are we nearly there yet?
Suzanne Motherwell and Tim Burns

3. Who are we?
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Sustrans is the charity making it
easier for people to walk and cycle
What do we do?
• Connecting people and places
• Creating liveable neighbourhoods
• Transforming the school run and commutes

4. Why focus on gender and active travel in cities?
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How do
women’s travel
experiences
differ from men?
Why do fewer
women cycle
compared to
men?
How do other
characteristics
interact with
gender to inform
how people
travel?

5. Our research approach
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Evidence review
• Literature
Review -
Gender,
Transport,
Active Travel
Glasgow research
– Are we nearly
there yet?
• In-depth
telephone
interviews
and focus
group
interviews
with 40
women
UK-wide research –
Women: reducing
the gender gap
• Bike Life
Survey: 7,700
surveys in
seven major
UK cities,
including
Greater
Manchester
Gender and Active Travel © Sustrans

6. What did we find out?
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7. 1. Literature review
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8. 1. Behaviour (Bike Life)
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9. 1. Behaviour (Bike Life)
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% of people who cycle at
least once a week in each
Bike Life city

10. 2. Motivations
“It’s a quick way of
making sure that I do
something for the day
exercise-wise. It’s so
simple.”
“I just like walking. It
gives me time, when
I’m going to work or
coming home from
work, to just process
things."
“Your mind can
go anywhere”
“I am really
keen to
reduce my
carbon
footprint”
“It’s a really simple way of
getting from A to B, but
with no costs”
“it’s quite a
sociable thing…I
meet people”
“For me it’s
health”

11. 2. Motivations (Glasgow)
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12. 2. Motivations (Bike Life)
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Women think cycling is a good thing
Gender and Active Travel © Sustrans

13. of women currently
do not ride a bike
but would like to
(in comparison
with 25% of men)
30%
of women felt they
should ride a bike
more often
50%
2. Motivations (Bike Life)
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And, women want to cycle more
Gender and Active Travel © Sustrans

14. 3. Barriers
“I’d be terrified
to cycle in
Glasgow”
“Your mind can
go anywhere”
“Glasgow
isn’t set up
for cycling”
“It’s just not
cyclist friendly”
I think that happens in a
lot of households. That
the women have to
multitask through the
day, so the bike just isn’t
a feasible thing that fits
in with all the other
things to do”
“I don’t use my bike at
all…Now that I’ve got the
kids, in the morning, getting
up, and it’s a case of getting
them ready, dropping them
off and then going to work, so
I’m having to use the car.”
“You’re worried
that you won’t
look nice”
“I couldn't cycle to and from
night shifts... the time of night,
just feel uneasy…It is a bit
frightening when you’re out by
yourself when you’re on a bike”

15. 3. Barriers (Glasgow)
“Your mind can
go anywhere”
“Glasgow
isn’t set up
for cycling”
“It’s just not
cyclist friendly”
“You’re worried
that you won’t
look nice”

16. 77% of women think cycling safety
in their city needs improving
3. Barriers (Bike Life)
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17. 4. What do women want? (Bike Life)
74%
of women would like more
investment in cycling in their
city
79%
of women support building
more protected cycle lanes
even if this means less space
for other road traffic

18. Are we nearly there yet?
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No… If we’re to get more people cycling and walking then we need to address
inequalities that exist – at every level.
The experiences of women cycling and walking are being ignored or excluded,
or generalised.
Age, household size, and other factors also have an important influence on
how women and men travel, which intersect with gender.
We don’t have sufficient information to understand how people who are trans
or non-binary experience mobility – this is a gap in both the literature and in
the data that is being gathered.

19. Our recommendations
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Develop clearly defined and protected (wherever necessary) cycle
networks that allow trip-chaining, enable more women to cycle with
children, and ensure women benefit from cycling as an everyday
choice of transport.
Foster better representation of women in the transport and planning
sector. Engender research showed that only 6.25% CEOs of transport
bodies are women.
Ensure that gender and other issues relating to equality are properly
integrated into Active Travel plans and policies.

20. What next for Sustrans?
We want to make cycling more inclusive. Sustrans has signed the declaration by
the EU’s Women in Transport – Platform for change.
Also, we are currently:
 reviewing what else we can do with the data and where we need more
evidence
 auditing existing Scottish Active Travel Plans to understand if the needs of
women and other groups are recognised
 looking to provide a platform for women to respond to Bristol’s forthcoming
Transport Strategy
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21. Find out more
• Visit our website and read the
blog post and research paper -
www.sustrans.org.uk
• Keep cycling!

22. Sustrans is the charity making it easier for people
to walk and cycle. We connect people and places,
create liveable neighbourhoods, transform the
school run and deliver a happier, healthier
commute.
Join us on our journey. www.sustrans.org.uk
Twitter @sustrans
www.sustrans.org.uk