Examining gender equality in urban cycling

Recently, cycling has gained recognition not only for its numerous health benefits but also for its potential as an eco-friendly urban transportation solution.

However, despite the increasing popularity of cycling, there is still a significant gender gap in the number of women participating in the activity. The reasons behind this gap remain largely unexplained.

In a new study published in EPJ Data Science, researchers from the University of Turin Department of Computer Science, led by Alice Battiston, delve into the determinants behind this gender gap in cycling on a large scale.

“We examined the relationship between the uptake of cycling by women compared to men and various characteristics of western cities, both at a macro and micro level,” explained Battison. “We found that, at a macro level, women are more likely to cycle in cities that are flat and have a safer urban environment, such as large low-speed limit zones and fewer ‘blind’ intersections or three-way crossings.”

This macroscopic result also translates to a smaller scale. By analyzing street-level features, the data shows that New York City streets with protected cycling infrastructure are up to four times more likely to have a higher proportion of women cyclists compared to streets without dedicated cycling paths.

“This finding is not limited to New York City but can be applied to the majority of cities in our sample,” Battison added.

To arrive at these conclusions, the researchers collected data from over 60 cities in the Western world, including the United States and Europe, from various sources. Information on cycling behavior was extracted from the heatmaps of Strava, a popular sport-tracking application with around 36 million users as of 2018.

“One surprising aspect of this research was the range of reactions I received when discussing the study,” Battison shared. “While most people recognize the importance of improving cycling infrastructure to encourage more diverse participation, some individuals expressed concerns about the impact of such changes on their daily lives.”

Battison emphasized the need for co-creation processes that actively engage local communities to ensure effective urban interventions. She concluded, “Future experimental studies can shed light on causal relationships and the impact of specific urban interventions.”

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