Women's Freedom

We want to unlock cycling for women

Why it matters

In London, less than 1 in 3 cycle trips are made by women. In the Netherlands, it’s over half. Only 1% of London’s children get to school by bike. In the Netherlands, it’s 75%. Women in their 30s on average travel four times the distance than men of the same age do in taking kids to school.

Accessible, cheap and sustainable transport is a feminist issue.

Why now?

There is strong demand for women to feel safe cycling in London. We know this because of what happened in 2021 after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. As we went from the safe low-traffic streets of 2020 back to ‘normal’ traffic levels, men’s cycling levels only dropped by 15% – but fell by 50% for women.

Women want to cycle, women can gain freedoms from cycling and women do cycle. In March 2023, 1000+ women and allies took to the streets to demand safe space for cycling in our Women’s Freedom Ride.

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.