How can we challenge the gender gap?

In 2018 we had a flurry of activity around the Sustrans Bike Life report and in particular the launch of Women: reducing the gender gap which highlighted - amongst other statistics - that there are two men to every one woman cycling.

Now, I know we should get away from this binary distinction but still, it is a startling fact.

UK Male dominated Cycle Culture

If you attended the launch event in Bristol you may remember Dr Rachel Aldred, Reader in Transport at Westminster University, as part of her presentation showed us the headline-grabbing fact that in Holland there is greater parity with actually more women than men cycling.

In the UK, with our lack of parity, comes a male-dominated culture – the bikes, the clothes, the way we ride, the routes and the neighbourhoods we and others design.

What part of that equation can we, as individuals change to help close the gender gap and essentially generate a massive increase in the numbers of people cycling?

I’d heard a little of this before (or chose to only hear a little of it), that men create a negative and hostile environment.

By being competitive on our routes, wearing armour and high-vis, and by just being thoughtless. Now I know it isn’t just men who can ride in that manner but if the cap fits.

Challenge your own actions and perceptions

So when I was listening to the panel which included our partnership manager, Megan Streb, journalist Laura Laker, the founder of Kidical Mass, Zoe Banks Gross and Dr Rachel Aldred talk about this, I was sat there and I thought “not me, I ride like a saint” or words to that effect. But alarm bells rang.

I can remember thinking similar when reading Grayson Perry’s book, The Descent of Man. In a commentary about the book he mentioned that when he talks to men about their privileged place in society and their unconscious misogyny they will often respond with “not me, I’m different” but then over the course of a discussion they realise that actually, yes, they - or we - are massively privileged.

The same happened to me – I didn’t think I was privileged, I didn’t think I acted in a privileged and exclusive fashion but the book showed me where I did indeed have privilege. So I caught myself when I responded with “not me I ride like a saint” – and rather than dismiss the assertion that I am part of the problem I had a good look at myself. And there was clearly room for improvement. The speed I ride and how close I pass people being the two major points. I also considered what I look like – what I wear, my posture.

I tried not wearing my helmet but I felt naked and couldn’t do it. But I have changed how I ride. I don’t judge people on how what they are riding, what they are wearing or their apparent gender. I don’t use that to tell me how to ride – I treat everyone the same.

We can all help to create a more inclusive cycling culture

So what is my shout out to you – what am I saying?

Well, in addition to saying that the gender gap report was fantastic, a real eye-opener for me and others, I suppose it is this: If you are motivated by social and environmental justice, and if you want to help create a truly inclusive cycling culture - challenge yourself.

Challenge your own actions and your perspective – how can you be even more inclusive? How can you reduce or remove any behaviours that exclude others? Because I know it isn’t just men. I see all sorts riding in a way that terrifies others, excluding them right now and maybe even dissuading others from riding in the future. What can you change? How can you, in your community, lead by example?

Find out more about Bike Life​

• Bike Life
• Commuting
• Cycling
• Cycling in cities
• Leadership
• Lifestyle
• Liveable cities
• Policy

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How an e-bike helped me get my health back on track

‘I love riding a bike and the freedom it gives you to stop off wherever you like.’

'Transforming Cities: The potential of everyday cycling’ estimates that 34,000 incidences of eight life-threatening conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, stroke and depression, would be prevented in seven major cities if cycling doubled every eight years between 2017 and 2040.

We hear from Karen Ross, an e-bike convert, about how she uses cycling to control her blood sugar levels after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, a common condition that causes the level of sugar in the blood to become too high. This can increase the risk of developing more serious problems with your eyes, heart and nerves if left untreated.

After the initial shock news, Karen was invited to take part in an e-bike trial scheme to look at how exercise impacts the condition. Since then she has decided to take up cycling as a way of controlling her blood sugar levels and the results speak for themselves.

Karen’s story

'I was scared and really shocked when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. At the time I didn’t understand how this had happened. I took a long hard look at what I was eating and how much I was exercising and realised I hadn’t been taking good care of myself. I wasn’t getting out much and would spend quite a few hours sat in front of the television each day.

'I went to a seminar about type 2 diabetes to learn more about the condition and how to keep it under control. About six months later, I got a call asking if I would like to take part in a study with e-bikes. I had no clue what they were but wanted to give it a go to help get my health back on track.Since then I haven’t looked back

“ Getting out and exercising is an absolute necessity and riding on an e-bike gives me the encouragement I need to get up and go. ”

- Karen Ross

'I love riding a bike and the freedom it gives you to stop off wherever you like, while avoiding the hassle of parking and the cost that comes with it.

Improving health 

'My health has improved significantly as a result of cycling and now my diabetes is practically non-existent. When I first heard the news I only changed my diet, so my blood sugar remained more or less the same, but once I started incorporating exercise into my daily routine it rapidly went down, which goes to show how important keeping fit is.

'The doctors were really impressed with my progress; within a year I had my blood sugar completely under control without using medication and I had lost four and a half stone.

'My husband has been really encouraging which has been a huge motivator for me. Quite often I cycle half way to Filton to meet him on his way back from work and then I ride the rest of the way home. I also live two seconds from the Bristol and Bath path so I have no excuse to not get out and go for a quick ride!

Make cycling safer and more accessible

'The UK Government needs to take action to make riding a bike safer and more accessible. They say that we are facing an obesity crisis but don’t give people the provisions to lead more active lifestyles. It’s difficult for those who cycle as the roads are so busy and motorists aren’t always aware of the space you need to give people on bikes. As a driver, I know I have overtaken too close in the past.

'I was in an accident when my husband and I were cycling nearby Cabot Circus in Bristol. A bus clipped him, so he went straight over the handlebars and then I crashed into him. We both ended up as a big heap on the floor. Incidents like this really put people off. And for this reason, I believe better cycling infrastructure would encourage more people to get out on their bikes.

'I’d definitely recommend an e-bike to anyone diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who is looking to reduce their sugar levels without medication. It’s changed my life for the better, made me a more confident cyclist and is something I genuinely enjoy doing.’

• Bike Life
• Cycling
• Health

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Call for UK Government to re-balance transport spending to improve safety and achieve cycling and walking targets

The South City Way protected cycle path in Glasgow.

I gave evidence to the Transport Select Committee with Living Streets and Cycling UK as part of their active travel inquiry. Our message was clear: without adequate funding, the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will fail.

The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) has three aims by 2025. One is incredibly unambitious – to increase walking to 300 stages per person per year  - which we will meet as its less than one walking stage per day. The other two – arguably also fairly unambitious compared to continental Europe, and yet, at least stretching for England, we are currently on course to fail. The aim is to double cycling based on 2013 levels and increase the numbers of children aged 5-10 walking to school to 55%. Last year the number of these children walking to school fell by 2% to 51%.

So where are we going wrong?

We have a strategy in place for walking and cycling; a Government that is looking at some of the safety issues that affect those actively travelling through reviewing the Highway Code; and an ambitious set of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) being formed. These are positive steps, but without the funding to change the public realm and put in place a network of protected cycleways across our towns and cities they will be undermined and ineffective.

Yesterday, I was asked what the obstacles are that prevent people choosing to walk and cycle short journeys. Truthfully, there are many complex reasons but I highlighted five areas that particularly prevent people making an active choice:

Safety and perceptions of safety

 Many people are still put off cycling in particular, because of fears for their safety. In our Bike Life surveys of 7,700 people across seven cities, 30% (27% of women) of those surveyed felt cycling safety was good in their cities and only 21% felt children’s cycling safety was good.

Poor infrastructure/infrastructure in the wrong place

We need high-quality infrastructure, such as pedestrianised areas with seating and protected cycleways which go to places people want to go. This is particularly important for women. Women make nearly three times fewer cycling journeys than men in this country¹. Women are more likely to trip chain (a chained trip includes a stop on the way to another destination) and do radial trips which are not as well catered for². Only 46% of women in Bike Life cities felt cycling infrastructure was good. Count data from cities across the USA revealed that females account for a greater percentage of bike riders when better bicycle infrastructure such as protected cycleways, are in place.

Convenience

We need to make walking and cycling the natural choice. This often means taking space from motor vehicles such as removing car parking spaces to create protected cycleways and widening pavements; and there is an appetite for this. Bike Life found 78% of people would like more protected space for cycling even if this meant taking space away from motor vehicles.

Confidence

More cycle training is needed. Many people often don’t feel confident on a bike. We do need more training both in schools where cycle training should be available to all primary school children to instil confidence and skills from a young age but also with adults.

Perceptions of health: Air quality and exposure 

The belief that you are more exposed to air pollution outside a car than inside a car is particularly an issue in cities. This is wrong apart from on the busiest roads if you are situated right behind a tailpipe. Importantly, the benefits of being physically active compared to sitting in the car far outweigh the costs of exposure anywhere in the UK.

Three out of five of these obstacles: safety, poor infrastructure and convenience can be largely overcome through good cycling and walking infrastructure and at present Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) are being formed in a number of local authorities in England. The potential of LCWIPs is large. They are an opportunity for local authorities to put long-term plans in place for walking and cycling, such as planning in cycling networks across the towns or cities in their area.

The formation of the plans is funded but they are in danger of gathering dust on a shelf unless there is funding to roll-out the cycling and walking projects identified in the plans. This funding currently doesn’t exist.
Only approximately 2% of England’s transport spending is spent on walking and cycling. LCWIPs highlight the desperate need for more funding if we are to see better and plentiful infrastructure for cycling and walking, which will help increase cycling numbers and safety to encourage more families to allow their children to walk and cycle the school journey.

This is why all three of our organisations yesterday called for the UK Government, as part of its forthcoming Spending Review, to adopt a second CWIS (CWIS2) with resources that are consistent with its stated aims and ambitions. This will require CWIS2 to amount to 5% of total transport spending in 2020/21, rising to 10% over the five years of the next spending round (i.e. by 2024/25). Based on figures for 2016/17 transport spending in England excluding London, this would amount to £17 per person annually (for walking as well as cycling) in 2020/1, rising to £34 per person in 2024/5.

This is not unprecedented. Scotland has committed to 10% of its trunk road budget to go towards walking and cycling. England urgently needs to follow suit and give the LCWIPs the financial backing they need to be a success and to create an environment in which other local authorities can begin to produce and enact these plans.

It’s not too late to turn things around and reach the CWIS targets for walking and cycling. The forthcoming spending review is an opportunity for the UK Government to show exactly how committed they are to achieving these targets.

References

---

1. Department for Transport (2016), National Travel Survey

2. Sustrans (2018) Are we nearly there yet? Exploring gender and active travel. 

• Air Quality
• Cycling
• Cycling in cities
• Economy
• Health
• Policy
• Walking

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An epic cycle challenge with my family

On the Strawberry Line, National Cycle Network Route 26

At Land’s End, the final destination of the challenge

View from a water break, with Dartmoor in the distance

In summer 2018, Lindsay and her family took on the (in)famous John o’Groats to Land’s End (JOGLE) long-distance ride.

Here, she tells us how they got on with this challenge – before and after.

Part one: planning the journey

Our 12-year-old son chose our family holiday this year, inspired by an adult friend of ours who cycled from Land’s End to John o’Groats in ten days last year. As a result, we leave home in just over two weeks to start our nearly 1200-mile journey.

We are a family of four, with boys Oscar (14) and Silas (12), and we are not aiming to complete it in the fewest days possible, but rather to see something of the country while we cycle. Where we can, we will use cycle paths (thank you, Sustrans!), and will cover about 60-65 miles a day, completing the distance in 19 days.

Planning has been what seems like a full-time activity for weeks now, and we have enjoyed sharing the responsibility.

My husband Andrew has planned the route (to find the safer and more scenic roads and paths), I’ve researched options for stopping points each day (cafes, shops, etc.), Oscar is working out our options for where to eat out in the evening and Silas is going to pull together a big spreadsheet of all the data about our trip – miles covered each day, metres climbed, average speed, what percentage of the way we have covered each day and many other bits of information too!

Preconceptions about the ride

Silas says he is most worried about what the weather will do (we have had some painful practice rides in cold rain and on very muddy towpaths), and whether the midges in Scotland will live up to their fearful reputation. I am looking forward to the trip enormously, and will be fascinated to see how the country unfolds in front of our eyes.

“ Hopefully all this preparation means that everything will run like clockwork when we’re on the trip. Yes, I know that never happens, but I can dream!. ”

- Lindsay

The big unknown for all of us is quite how hard it will be, or whether we will all cope better than we think. Will there be a day where all four of us struggle, or will just one person find a particular day hard and the other three can encourage them on? 

Finally, we’re also raising money for charity. We didn’t want the children to feel that they are tagging onto our idea, so we have all chosen a charity to support so that fundraising is more “our own”. The packing list is my current headache – packing as lightly as possible but having enough to cover our essentials.

Part two: experiencing the ride

What an amazing experience it is to cycle from John o’Groats to Land’s End! It’s quite extraordinary to see the stunning views of Scotland, the Lake District and the rolling Devon hills (and everything in between) all in the same trip. During the many hours in the saddle, my main distraction was to see how different the towns and countryside were from 100 miles before.

I don’t think all members of the family thought about the scenery as much as I did, but I wanted to be free from my phone and any navigation system so that I could enjoy what I could see. The other members of the family all watched the route on maps, counted up (or down) the miles for the day, or worked out how much more climbing there was in the day. These were good distractions too!

We spent about six hours cycling a day with an extra two or three hours for various stops – whether for coffee and cake (a daily occurrence), or buying lunch, or a picnic overlooking an amazing Lake District view, or just for water or “comfort” stops. It is deceptive how quickly the stops add up. We only suffered four punctures in the whole trip, and no other equipment malfunctions of any sort.

Battling the elements

Our trip was during the summer heatwave, but thankfully we missed some of the extreme heat in Scotland. Cycling in the Lake District in 30°C+ is definitely energy-sapping; a day including a 1:5 hill coming out of Settle was one of our hardest, and we had never been so excited to see a Premier Inn as when we finally glimpsed the sign in Burnley at 8pm!

We endured thunderstorms coming into Worcester (with a slow puncture that needed pumping up every three miles so that we could change the tyre in the dry of the hotel), and torrential rain and a massive headwind all day the next day, from Worcester to Bristol. Even though that day had very little to recommend itself to us at the time (puddles in our shoes, being so wet through to the skin that we didn’t even want to stop for coffee or food and needing heaters in the evening to try to get everything dry), it’s those days of hardship that actually make the trip epic and memorable.

Take-aways from the journey

Things I liked: the bonding between us over the trip – we all supported each other when needed (Silas encouraged me bit by bit up a hill on one hot day when I had “hit the wall” shortly before lunch, then, coincidentally, he hit the wall a couple of hours later, but by then I had the energy to work with him pedal by pedal up another hill – thanks, Devon!). We had such a good laugh, most particularly in the evenings of the hard days – we were almost delirious with hilarity in the Brewer’s Fayre in Burnley.

I enjoyed pushing myself to do those last 10 miles of the day when all you want to do is stop. I loved the sense of progress as we tracked our way down the country. We met lovely people: at viewpoints while having a break, café staff and hotel receptionists or B&B owners who all went out of their way to help us have a comfortable stay. And, eating as much as you want for the entire trip is great fun, especially for those of us who normally can’t! 

Not so good: some drivers, particularly in the Lake District zooming around corners when it’s only one lane wide, weak hands from resting on the handlebars so many hours a day (it made changing tyres really hard, and I couldn’t squeeze the toothpaste tube for the last week either), getting very wet and/or cold as it makes you slow down which makes you wet and/or cold for longer.

After the trip, all our various aches and pains didn’t take too long to subside, but our weak hands took about a month to get back to full strength. As we finished, I had absolutely no desire to do the trip again. Within three months, however, I realised I would love to do it again! I’m trying to think of ways to persuade the family that to cycle from the north to the south coast of France would be an excellent thing to do…

Want to plan an adventure of your own? Read more about JOGLE

Buy the official Land’s End to John o'Groats guidebook

• Cycling
• National Cycle Network

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How and why we are working to raise the standards in walking and cycling projects across Scotland

Our annual Raising the Standards Day is a great opportunity to look at the how and why we work

It’s an exciting time to be involved in active travel.

The messages concerning the health and environmental benefits of walking and cycling are working their way into policy and the public consciousness. After doubling the budget for active travel in 2017 then appointing Lee Craigie to the new post of Active Nation Commissioner for Scotland in 2018, the Scottish Government has shown its commitment to the goal of making cycling and walking a safe and attractive option across the country. That doesn’t mean the battle is won, we need to work together to maintain and build the momentum for change.

Our annual Raising the Standards Day is a great opportunity to look at the how and why we work. To inspire and be inspired. To come together with our partners, local authorities, and other interested parties, to exchange ideas on how to tackle challenges and approach issues in innovative and creative ways. An opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished but also look to the future at what we can achieve.

Change is coming

It’s also a good time to think about the standards we work to. With this in mind we’ve listened to our partners and people applying for grants. We understand that more could be done to simplify access to funding so we are unifying and streamlining our current three match funding streams - Community Links, Community Links PLUS and Safer Routes to Schools - into one fund. This change will make it even easier to apply so you can spend more time delivering. The work to put those changes in place is already underway, and we will provide more information over the coming weeks.

Co-operation and collaboration

It’s all too easy to become focused on your own work. Creating artificial barriers when collaboration is mutually beneficial.

At Sustrans we promote co-operation, with our teams becoming more integrated at all stages in the design and delivery process. And this is something we’d like to see across the industry. Cross specialist teams can make quicker decisions based upon multiple different viewpoints which should serve a greater number of needs compared to one department making all the decisions. Open, collaborative partnerships are the only way that we can continue to deliver ever more ambitious projects.

The bigger picture

We have to remember not to just think of infrastructure as new paths and cycleways but to look at the bigger picture. We want walking and cycling to be accessible to all and infrastructure that makes it easier for people to change life-long travel habits.

As an example of the kind of ambition we’re seeing, it is a huge privilege to be funding, and working as partner on Edinburgh’s City Centre Transformation. We will soon be supporting Glasgow in reviewing their Local Transport Strategy, rebalancing it towards investment in walking, cycling and public transport. These projects demonstrate a move toward remembering that our streets are just that, streets for playing, shopping, and living, not just roads for vehicles.

There are many reasons we are so passionate in our mission – the health benefits, a reduction in air pollution – but mainly the idea of creating better places for people to live. Research shows that people who walk and cycle are more likely to stop and spend on the high street helping to revitalise communities and town centres. And Sustrans are proud to be at the heart of a movement that is reclaiming towns and cities for people.

Find out more about our work in Scotland

• Cycling
• Leadership
• Policy
• Walking

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Nationwide 20mph speed limits save lives and create better places to live

A long-distance bike adventure with my son on the National Cycle Network

Charlie and Will at the end of their journey

Charlie on a well-needed pit stop

Will, a Sustrans supporter from Manchester, and his son Charlie got into cycling together. So when Charlie, then 11 years old, suggested they attempt the long ride from Land’s End to John o’Groats (LEJOG) together, Will couldn’t think of a good reason not to.

Each of them gave their take on the experience.

Charlie’s story

I had the idea for this trip because I love cycling. This is because you see a lot more wildlife and scenery than in a car and it is really fun to glide along down a descent after a tough challenge uphill.

I fancied doing it now because it was my last chance until after my GCSEs and I wanted to complete it before I got to secondary school. I was expecting it to be tough and I didn’t know if I would be able to do it but I was determined to complete a big bucket list challenge.

I found the first couple of days very tricky as there were a lot of long, steep hills but after that it wasn’t as tough (although I am not saying it was easy). My favourite bit was Cornwall because, even though there were a lot of hills, the views were spectacular and everyone was very kind.

“ I highly recommend it if you are thinking about giving it a go. ”

- Charlie

Before I left, my teacher and my classmates sent me inspiring quotes to help me along the way which encouraged me to achieve my goal.

I am also very grateful to my grandpa and uncle who supported me and my dad throughout our journey if we ran out of energy bars or needed a spare pump.

It feels great to have done it and I highly recommend it if you are thinking about giving it a go.

Will’s story

We fell into multi-day cycling really. It started when, fed up with the cost in time and money of driving, I bought a bike for short journeys. A colleague got wind of this and suggested we cycle from Morecambe to Bridlington. Not, I grant you, a short journey. I couldn’t see how this could be done without using the M62, but I was persuaded and spent a great few days cycling the Way of the Roses.

My colleague and I followed this up with Coast and Castles South and I was hooked. It also struck me that the National Cycle Network, on which these routes were based, would be a fabulous resource for adventures with kids.

Charlie was showing an interest in and aptitude for cycling and we made our first foray when he was 8, riding from York to Boroughbridge, a safe, flat 20 miles or so. He too caught the bug.

Coast and Castles was next, in 2015, and over two trips and six days we cycled from Alnmouth to Leuchars.

Charlie’s ambitions, confidence and ability grew so our next challenge was the Way of the Roses in 2016. Throughout this time he was nurturing a desire to ride really big distances and when in October he announced he’d like to try LEJOG, my initial scepticism was defeated by his determination and a realisation that I could not say that he was incapable of doing it (and my own desire to make the trip).

“ It struck me that the National Cycle Network would be a fabulous resource for adventures with kids. ”

- Will

Of course undertaking such a journey with a child demands a lot of planning. One can’t arrive in a town with nowhere to eat or sleep; Charlie needed to know that all he had to do was ride and everything else would be fine.

So I devised a route to suit our own particular needs, travelling it virtually through Street View to make sure I knew what to expect, and I booked accommodation well in advance.

We carried our own kit (we always have) but had some great back-up from family members who put themselves nearby with a car and a bike rack, just in case. After battling headwinds across Dartmoor (we had to pedal just to go downhill) I had a bit of a wobble in Exeter and thought perhaps we might need that rack.

Charlie was unbowed, however, and once through the South West our strength and confidence grew. 

It was a remarkable journey, each day bringing a new county, and each county displaying different terrain, vegetation, wildlife and history; we saw the UK in many guises.

A particular, and unexpected, highlight for me was the run from Chatelherault Country Park, south east of Glasgow, to Tarbet on the shores of Loch Lomond: a safe, flat and relatively easy ride through the biggest city on our route to some of the most beautiful countryside along National Route 74, 75 and 7 and Regional Route 40.

This was, without question, the trip of a lifetime, but there is only one question at the end of any such adventure – what’s next?

Are you feeling inspired? Read about other long-distance routes and why not challenge yourself this year

Buy the Sustrans guide to LEJOG

• Cycling
• National Cycle Network
• Young people

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