Rise in female cyclists as less traffic made roads feel safer

THE cycling gender gap narrowed during the pandemic as women felt safer on the quieter roads, figures suggest.

Pre-pandemic, men made three times as many cycling trips as women, with females consistently more likely to say they do not feel safe on the roads.

But in 2020 during the pandemic, men took just twice as many cycling trips as women, figures from the Department for Transport (DFT) show.

The number of cycling trips made by women grew 56 per cent, compared to a 12 per cent increase in trips by men.

The spike could be attributed to the 21 per cent drop in vehicle traffic, the DFT said, as well as bike lanes and low traffic neighbourhoods.

The number of miles cycled per person increased by 62 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019, to reach the highest since 2002, as people avoided public transport during the pandemic.

Walking trips decreased 16 per cent, but trips over a mile rose 7 per cent, reflecting few short walks to transport hubs but increased leisure walking.

Last year the Government announced a £2billion package in a “new era” for walking and cycling in response to the pandemic, which included money for local authorities for new bike lanes.

But some residents oppose low traffic neighbourhoods because of restrictions on car use and fears they displace air pollution to busier roads. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has said half of all journeys will need to be walked or cycled in towns and cities by 2030 to meet climate change targets.

Chris Heaton-harris, the transport minister, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many more journeys being cycled and more people walking longer distances.

“Active travel helps keep us healthy, ease congestion on our roads and clean up our environment so we want to keep this trend going by encouraging more people to travel by bike or on foot.”