What is stopping women from cycling?

[Wanlock Dod]

... that's a different culture/way of thinking that is rooted in the majority, not the extreme minority here.

I believe that it is the culture that does things for the benefit of society, rather than just for the benefit of individuals, that results in the Dutch providing facilities for both cyclists and motorists. The Little Britain approach is based on it being better, from a selfish perspective at least, to drive so we only provide facilities for driving.

[reohn2]

... that's a different culture/way of thinking that is rooted in the majority, not the extreme minority here.

I believe that it is the culture that does things for the benefit of society, rather than just for the benefit of individuals, that results in the Dutch providing facilities for both cyclists and motorists. The Little Britain approach is based on it being better, from a selfish perspective at least, to drive so we only provide facilities for driving.

That's a fact and if anyone who lives in the UK thinks differently they're living in a cycling enclave or in cloud cuckoo land.
Cycling in the UK is a threatening and sometime a very scary experience.Not so in NL due to their civilised and social outlook on the quality of(precious)life.

The political and consequentially the social attitude in the UK is one of "man mind thyself",and IME it's worsened as austerity measures have gone on.The UK has been driving(sorry)down a dead end street for some years as it's political policies have moved ever further to the right and as divide and conquer policies have gained momentum.
The UK is an increasingly despotic nation to live in and one can only hope for the collapse of the wholly despotic rightwing government preasently in power,but it'll take a lot of turning around before sanity returns......

[Tangled Metal]

Women shun cycling because of safety, not helmet hair

Ironically there also seems to be an article in the Telegraph about how ladies should just ignore the danger and close passes and get on with it, which seems to have been sponsored by a motor manufacturer.

Targeted advertising perhaps?

That link had an advertisement for a target interesting Barossa wine. I don't drink! Well apart from cider, but that is more like West Country water, you drink it so as not to get ill from dodgy water (like Belgian beer).

BTW I turned my ad preferences feature off so under GDPR regulations they can't use my data to target advertisements at me. If yours is still on then perhaps you could be getting a targeted car ad for that guardian article. Doesn't mean it's a sponsored article.

Of course being grauniad I haven't read a single word of it only checked it out for the ad. If there's some wording on the article that indicates sponsorship by auto brand then I'm obviously wrong with this observation.

Which is worse? A keen, utility cyclist getting car ads targeted at them or a non-drinker getting alcohol ads targeted at them?

[Ontherivet77]

Apparently it's cycle to work week this week. My wife has been cycling into work this week and guess what she has had a long line of men coming to her desk telling her how dangerous the road she is cycling in on is! Perhaps, if women are to cycle in larger numbers men should stop trying to put the fear of god into them and just let them get on with it.

[Wanlock Dod]

Targeted advertising perhaps?

It was "brought to you by Skoda" where I had expected to find an authors name that gave it away somewhat.

Don't believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.....

[Tangled Metal]

Targeted advertising perhaps?

It was "brought to you by Skoda" where I had expected to find an authors name that gave it away somewhat.

Don't believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.....

I don't believe you!

[mjr]

Apparently it's cycle to work week this week. My wife has been cycling into work this week and guess what she has had a long line of men coming to her desk telling her how dangerous the road she is cycling in on is! Perhaps, if women are to cycle in larger numbers men should stop trying to put the fear of god into them and just let them get on with it.

Are they trying to suggest alternative routes or just being daft?

It's "#BikeWeekUK". I've read on another forum about someone being asked to do a ten-minute intro to bike repairs for children and they proudly said they managed to "hit home about helmets" (and also covered a couple of repairs). I daren't ask for more detail, else I'll surely get moderated, but suffice to say that things like this do make me wonder what/if some people are thinking when it comes to encouraging cycling.

[Ontherivet77]

Apparently it's cycle to work week this week. My wife has been cycling into work this week and guess what she has had a long line of men coming to her desk telling her how dangerous the road she is cycling in on is! Perhaps, if women are to cycle in larger numbers men should stop trying to put the fear of god into them and just let them get on with it.

Are they trying to suggest alternative routes or just being daft?

It's "#BikeWeekUK". I've read on another forum about someone being asked to do a ten-minute intro to bike repairs for children and they proudly said they managed to "hit home about helmets" (and also covered a couple of repairs). I daren't ask for more detail, else I'll surely get moderated, but suffice to say that things like this do make me wonder what/if some people are thinking when it comes to encouraging cycling.

There isn't really an alternative route. I think it was more sharing stories of cycling war wounds and like you say not really designed to encourage cycling.

[Mud-Plugger]

Seems to me that there are a lot more female riders in London these days, and also on the designated cycleways springing up around the countryside. London is quite bike-friendly compared to many UK cities but riding there is still hazardous and there's plenty of abuse from other cyclists, let alone motorists. (See below)

I'm female, none of my female friends still cycle, though we have an excellent 10 mile off-road old railway-line nearby which is deserted for most of the week. Yet they'll happily pay for gym membership.

They don't really give reasons, but clearly there's 'something' about cycling in the UK which is hostile or unpleasant for women, and the many reasons are already posted in this thread.

I take my bike over to the Nederlands and France, and it's like a breath of fresh air compared to cycling in the UK. Motorists are polite and give you plenty of room; acceptance of bikes seems culturally normal, and I've never been bullied off the road which has happened twice in the last year in the UK, including being knocked off my bike in London by another cyclist. (No, he didn't stop.) That ended up with hospitalisation for a dislocated elbow and concussion.

There's the maintenance aspect. I learned bike mechanic-ing just to get away from my LBS, the only one in ten mile radius - who overcharged to the point of extortion: (£60 to fit a V-Brake cable) and laughed at my ancient French supermarket bike: 'It's a bicycle-shaped object.' The LBS probably isn't typical but it's definitely female-hostile.

I don't think there's a solution, but also, there are plenty of other sports for women to enjoy without the perils, inbred hostility and abuse, of urban cycling in the UK.

See: https://youtu.be/wusNHV2I-2A

[Vorpal]

See: https://youtu.be/wusNHV2I-2A

All but one or two of the incidents were either predictable, or entirely avoidable.

Also, he needs to be a bit more respectful of pedestrians. He seems to expect better from motorists than he deals out himself?!?

[Mud-Plugger]

"All but one or two of the incidents were either predictable, or entirely avoidable."

Absolutely. But common sense is often in short supply these days.

One thing I've noticed is that riders who are 'clipped-in' seem to be the ones most likely not to want to stop at red lights or pedestrian crossings, regardless of gender.

Back on topic, I mostly ride off-road as the pseudo-nom implies. I see a lot more women riding on car-free cycle tracks than I used to, which is good.

[AMMoffat]

See: https://youtu.be/wusNHV2I-2A

All but one or two of the incidents were either predictable, or entirely avoidable.

Also, he needs to be a bit more respectful of pedestrians. He seems to expect better from motorists than he deals out himself?!?

Whilst some of the vehicle incidents in the video are not his fault, anyone who cycles in that aggressive fashion in busy pedestrian areas would have as many near misses as that cyclist. He is kitted up as if he is entering a hostile environment and means to do battle, the only problem is that by and large it is the pedestrians he encounters who need the helmet to protect themselves from this inconsiderate idiot . Still, he is getting so worked up he is likely to have a heart attack from self-induced stress which will get him off the road.

[reohn2]

See: https://youtu.be/wusNHV2I-2A

All but one or two of the incidents were either predictable, or entirely avoidable.

Also, he needs to be a bit more respectful of pedestrians. He seems to expect better from motorists than he deals out himself?!?

+1

[Mud-Plugger]

"Still, he is getting so worked up he is likely to have a heart attack from self-induced stress which will get him off the road."

He's clearly looking for confrontation in the way he deals with pedestrians. There are clips where he's clearly cut up by cars, but he's riding on the limit of his stopping distance.

His arteries hardening though, not mine.

[Phil Fouracre]

Interesting! All a matter of perception, he obviously felt justified. Don't think I'd have posted a vid of me if I rode like this self entitled moron. Probably an Audi driver, out for a ride on his bike!