Riders protest for safer cycling for women in London

Riders used pedal power in a protest calling for safer cycling for women London.

Circles around central London – starting and ending at Marble arch and to visit Buckingham Palace, Whitehall and Trafalgar Square – this has appealed to hundreds of those who want to see men and women in the capital cycling equally by 2030.

The race was organized by the women’s London Cycling Campaign (LCC). Network ahead of International Women’s Day with Joyriders, a women’s cycling organization and Londra Bisiklet Kulubu, which is a riding group mainly run by members of London’s Turkish/Kurdish community.

Organizers said there was a carnival atmosphere during the 90-minute protest, which included people dressed as suffragettes and a unicorn, cyclists carrying cats and dogs in baskets and a woman on a penny farthing.

Eilidh Murray, LCC Women’s Network Steering Group, said: “As women from all backgrounds, we know that being able to travel cheaply and independently by bike can bring us confidence, health and freedom. But we are discouraged from cycling because of the lack of safe routes, dangerous driving, harassment and more. We need the mayor to make cycling a safe everyday choice.”

According to the LCC, less than a third of cycling journeys in London are made by women, despite making up 51% of the population.

Fear vehicular traffic due to inadequate cycling infrastructure, abuse and violence, and the lack of safe cycling networks for local commuting are some of the main barriers to women cycling.

The LCC noted that women feel more comfortable cycling in protected lanes than men and also appear to have higher rates of “near misses”, such as when drivers pass too close.

The protest was part of the LCC’s appeal to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to resolve issues of physical and social safety of cyclists.

They are also calling for local cycle networks, such as low-traffic areas and safe routes to schools, to be given the same priority as cycle corridors in central London.

Mr Khan said: “I want women to feel safe wherever they are in London, and that includes on our roads.

“We need to continue to break down the barriers to cycling that women and girls face, and I’m doing everything I can to make active travel around the city as accessible and safe as possible.

“That’s why I’m delighted that since the pandemic we’ve built hundreds of kilometers of new or upgraded cycle routes, introduced e-bikes to the Santander Cycles scheme and completed work to make some of the capital’s most dangerous and feared junctions safer. .

“London now has over 500 school streets and we have funded training to help more Londoners cycle confidently and safely.

“Improving cycling safety is crucial to ensuring equal access to all parts of our city and means more Londoners are choosing greener ways to get around the capital, creating a greener and fairer London for everyone.”