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The percentage of trips taken by bicycle and the number of bicyclists in the U.S. has steadily increased in the past decade. Accounting for this increase are men ages 25 to 64. Nationwide trends indicate women accounting for 25 percent of bicyclists and 24 percent of the nation’s bicycle trips. Cities like Portland, Oregon with high cycling quantities also have higher female cycling numbers. Studies in Portland show that women respond positively to on-street bicycle facilities with a buffer from automobile traffic. Northern European cities with separated infrastructure see upwards of 50 percent female ridership. These cities have created an environment that is receptive to bicycling, and in turn have more bicyclists and ultimately more women bicyclists. Infrastructure creates a streetscape to accommodate more bicyclists, and the type of infrastructure can serve as an undeniable indicator to the quantity of women bicycling.
This research examines the relationship between adults who bike to work and the quantity of lanes, routes, and paths in the 51 largest U.S. cities using data from the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s 2010 and 2012 U.S. Bicycling and Walking Benchmarking Project. This research finds a strong relationship between male ridership and bike routes, while female ridership shows a stronger relationship to bike paths. Women’s data shows a positive correlation between change in infrastructure and change in ridership over time.
Gaining quantitative understanding of the infrastructure that leads to increased perceived safety among women can inform new safety and design standards that can accommodate all types of bicyclists. Statistically analyzing bicycle commuting data creates significant findings to support anecdotal research of women’s bicycling perceptions to create a link between infrastructure and gender. These findings will begin to shrink the gender gap in bicycling.