Women & Cycling : Lille study case

During the past couple years, at Copenhagenize Design Co., we have taken interest in the topic of women and cycling. In the majority of cities in the World, women face insecurity in their urban travel on a daily basis. In France, for example, 100% of women admit having been victims of sexual harassment in public transportation (HCEfh, 2015). The bicycle can serve as an empowering tool for women, giving them the freedom of movement by their own means. However today, in most cities, expect the most bicycle-friendly, disproportionately less women cycle than men. 

In several studies, researchers have investigated the subject and come to the conclusion that protected bicycle infrastructure is essential to encourage women, more risk averse, to use a bicycle on a daily basis. Although we are consistently the first ones to support this message, coming to such conclusions does not fully encapsulate the needs of women. 

This is why the Copenhagenize France team adopted a more complete approach. To dig deeper into how the urban environment affects womens’ choices to cycle and external circumstances which lead to a “tipping point” after which women choose to use a bicycle, our team conducted   a participatory study with Cécile d’Aubigny, a student at Sciences Po Lille. We gathered and analysed the data from 950 women through an online survey and organised a focus group with 20 women, living in Lille (France), to better understand their perceptions on cycling. 

Their responses illustrate the complexity of their perceptions on cycling : from the barriers they face, their perceptions of the bicycle and other modes of transportation to the risks they perceive before a bicycle trip. Aware of the diversity within the womens’ experiences,  the team also compared the responses of regular drivers and cyclists, beginner and experienced cyclists and mothers of one or more children. The results from the study confirmed some of our previous assumptions on the cycling behavior of women and enable us to shine light on the key issues to encourage cycling among women. 

Perception of risks incurred by bicycle 

The number one risk factor imagined by women cyclists is insecurity on the road. Before starting a trip, 61% of women “always” or “often” fear an accident when cycling, and 35% of them even imagine this risk for their daily trips. These results confirm our consistent message on the importance of qualitative bicycle infrastructure to encourage cycling for everyone. 

In addition to physical insecurity, 35% of the participants expressed “always” or “often” imagining the risk of negative interactions with other road users or of any type of  harassment. The womens’ responses indicate that the risk is perceived more vividly in the context of daily trips and those completed alone. All risks were drastically reduced for trips in groups showing that  cycling with others can play an important role in reassuring women. 

Qualitative bicycle infrastructure : important  for all women cyclists 

When asked why women are incapable of reaching certain destinations by bicycle, twice as many experienced (more than 3 years of cycling) than beginner (less than 6 months of cycling) bicycle users answered that they avoid using their bicycle when they think the route isn’t safe enough. This could illustrate that women with more experience cycling are more apt to choose their preferred itineraries, the safest and not always the most direct and that the lack of bicycle infrastructure remains a constraint in cycling even for the more experienced. 

During the focus group, when asked to compare different types of bicycle infrastructure, the women in the focus group unanimously chose the one-way cycle track as the most comfortable. In comparison, the contra-flow bicycle lane even on a calm street was deemed the most uncomfortable and 23% of the participants even expressed not cycling on it. This type of infrastructure has been the most developed in France these past years, since it’s cheap to build and most of the time does not entail removing space from cars. Unfortunately, it’s not the one meeting the users’ needs. 

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Perceptions on cycling : drivers vs cyclists

While the women cyclists associated the bicycle with freedom and speed, the drivers perceived the bicycle as 7 times more constraining and 4 times more risky than the cyclists. The regular drivers have a negative biased view on cycling and may overestimate its danger, but more importantly this shows that an important shift from car to bicycle is possible through the construction of safer bicycle infrastructure. 

Mothers have more complex trip chains yet are not afraid of longer distances 

We identified the main differences between women with and without children as the complexity of their trip chains. Nearly ¾ of mothers who have one or more children have a “care” trip (to or from school) in their daily chain, making it more complex than the typical home - work - home trip chain. Nonetheless, despite the constraints this may present for mothers, 39% of women with one or more children cycle for long distances (>5km).

Experienced vs beginner bicycle users

When asked the reasons for which the women avoid certain routes, the responses diverged slightly between the two types of users. For both beginner and experienced cyclists, the number one reason for an itinerary change is insufficient street lighting. 

However, while beginners were more affected by dense traffic, experienced users were more sensitive to frequent physical and/or verbal  harassment and chose to change their route accordingly. Even a few  cases of negative interactions with road users could  influence their mobility habits on a long-term basis. 

Forested routes, enjoyable and safe by day, uncomfortable by night 

Even though physically separated cycle tracks and routes through parks were identified as the most adapted to the women’s preferences, some of the participants expressed avoiding these routes at night. Without proper lighting, a forested itinerary proved pleasant by day but became very uncomfortable or fear-inducing at night.

During an exercise of the focus group, when asked to close their eyes and imagine what their ideal city would be like, the women envisioned a calm and forested city. In that city, all of their trips, from home to school or work to home would be done by foot or by bicycle. This may seem like an unattainable utopia today but it enables us to better understand the needs of women and to identify specific actions to begin working towards this vision. 

Inspiration for other cities 

Based on our results, we put together a collection of recommendations for designing more inclusive cities. To do so requires adapting our cities and streets, providing programs for learning and exchange, services adapted to bicycle users needs and changing urban planning approaches at the conception stage. Here are some of our specific recommendations : 

• More protected bicycle infrastructure 

• Traffic-calming 

• Well-lit itineraries and alternative routes for night trips Learn-to-bike and bicycle maintenance classes 

• Organised “bike to work” groups 

• Communicate about where to get your bicycle fixed

• Services for mothers (parking for bicycle trailers, stroller service) 

• Family cargo-bike rental service 

• Adopting inclusive urban planning approaches 

The  complete results from our study are available in French here.