Women put off cycling by safety fears and lack of routes, study finds

Intimidating behaviour from drivers, poor infrastructure and fears over safety are deterring more women in the UK from cycling compared with men, research has found, while bike sales continue to fall after a boom during the Covid lockdowns.

- Mabel Banfield-Nwachi

The gap between men's and women's experiences of cycling has widened "across every measure in the past seven years", according to a report by Cycling UK, a charitable membership organisation.

A survey commissioned by the organisation found that male cyclists' experiences of intimidating behaviour - such as drivers overtaking too closely - decreased by 5% over the survey period, but remained consistent for female riders.