Women's Freedom

“Get off the road, b*tch!” women cycling in London told

New London Cycling Campaign report, ‘What Stops Women Cycling in London?’ reveals shocking levels of abuse faced by women cycling in the capital.

It also sets out our recommendations for the Mayor, Transport for London and London boroughs to overcome these barriers so that women can cycle any of their daily journeys without fear.

Why don’t more women cycle?

In London, less than 1 in 3 cycle trips are made by women. In the Netherlands, it’s over half.

The LCC Women’s Network surveyed over 1000 women in London to ask what barriers prevent them from cycling. The responses were shocking. We received countless reports of harassment, aggression and even physical and sexual assault directed towards women cycling. Full survey results are here.

We spoke in person with participants in the survey to recount their stories… CW: swearing, descriptions of verbal and physical abuse.

What we want

Our campaign is calling on the Mayor to make London a city where all women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people feel safe to cycle.

We’re calling on the Mayor of London to ensure cycling is an inclusive mode of transport that men and women use equally, across London, by 2030, by:

• Addressing physical safety for women when cycling: Deliver cycling infrastructure across London that is physically safe, accessible for all riders and their bikes, and of the highest quality. This will give women the confidence to cycle, including with children, without fear of hostile interactions with motor vehicles.
  
• Addressing social safety for women when cycling: Improve delivery, monitoring and reporting on verifiable actions to radically improve social safety for women cycling in London, working in partnership with relevant authorities including TfL and London’s boroughs.
• Thinking beyond the commute: Give the same priority to local cycle networks, such as low traffic neighbourhoods and safe routes to schools, as to cycle corridors into central London.