Milton Keynes survey finds only one in four cyclists are women

Campaigners say more needs to be done to encourage women to take up cycling.

The Gender Pedal Gap Taskforce, an initiative set up in Milton Keynes, said only one in four of the bikers they surveyed on the city’s cycle routes were women.

Concerns about safety and a lack of time for leisure activities are believed to be among the reasons for the disparity.

The issue was highlighted at an all-day cycle summit in Milton Keynes on Thursday, where senior councillors were asked to commit to working harder to combat the problem.

The Cycling Citizens MK group, which set up the taskforce, surveyed people about the Milton Keynes Redways, which are paths designed for cyclists and pedestrians.

Only 23% of the people they observed on bicycles were women.

A third of the female cyclists were worried about road collisions and a fifth were concerned about stranger danger, the group said.

Jane Whild, the co-founder of the taskforce, said women might also “have more caring responsibilities and less time to spend on leisure [and] less funding because of the gender pay gap”.