\n Kitty Cresswell Riol, from the Norwich Cycling Campaign, says many women are discouraged from the activity because of the intimidation they face.\n<\/p>\n
\n The group – which receives funding from Norwich City Council –\u00a0also claims that female riders are disproportionately affected by incidents like close passes from motorists.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kitty Cresswell Riol says cyclist safety concerns often go unreported (Image: Norwich Cycling Campaign)\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Cresswell Riol said: “What women and gender-diverse cyclists face isn\u2019t just traffic risk – it\u2019s gender-based harassment and threats to social safety.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Verbal abuse, aggressive close passes, intimidation and street harassment are reported far more frequently by women and gender-diverse people, shaping whether and how they ride.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The audit wants to identify areas where women cyclists feel unsafe (Image: Norwich Cycling Campaign)\n<\/p>\n
\n The group has launched a Women’s Cycling Safety Audit to learn more about people’s experiences of the issue.\n<\/p>\n
\n The project is funded by City Hall and it is being carried out in conjunction with other cycling organisations, such as Bicycle Links and Boudicca Bikes.\n<\/p>\n
\n It involves a series of drop-in sessions across the city between February and April, alongside focus groups, group rides, a zine-making workshop and an online survey.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Cresswell Riol added: \u201cIn Norwich, we don\u2019t yet have clear local data on these experiences, and that\u2019s exactly why this audit is so important.\n<\/p>\n
\n “By listening directly to lived experiences, we can understand barriers and design streets that are safe, empowering and inclusive for everyone.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The cycling gender gap isn\u2019t just about numbers – it\u2019s about who feels safe, supported and able to ride.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It reflects wider inequalities, from access to time and resources, to exposure to harassment, to socially expected caregiving roles.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Who cycles, and where, mirrors these deeper inequities. Understanding these barriers is vital to making cycling in Norwich safer, fairer and more inclusive for everyone.”\n<\/p>\n
\n A woman cycling in Norwich (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Cresswell Riol said she had experienced intimidating behaviour first hand and was recently nearly pushed off the road by an aggressive driver.\n<\/p>\n
\n “They almost hit me and came really close,” she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kelly Robinson, 31, used to cycle to work at the Norwich Research Park along the Avenues most days but has since stopped in part due to frequent incidents of male drivers being aggressive towards her.\n<\/p>\n
\n Recalling one incident in the Earlham Road\/Edinburgh Road area, she said: “I was cycling through my neighbourhood when a van drove really closely and aggressively behind me.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I got to the corner of Earlham Road and then the man driving the van came up next to me, leaned out the window and started shouting at me, telling me I should have got out of the way.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I just turned onto Earlham Road and waved goodbye.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Cyclists are allowed to be on the road. This is just one of many incidents that have put me off.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Fewer women cycling than men in Norwich and Norfolk (Image: Women’s Cycling Safety Audit)\n<\/p>\n
\n The safety of women while running has also recently become a major concern, with women facing catcalls and being followed.\n<\/p>\n
\n Repeated incidents have even led some forces to deploy undercover police officers to catch people in the act.\n<\/p>\n
\n Alice Macdonald, Norwich North MP, is also supporting the cycling audit.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s vital that women and girls\u2019 experiences are at the core of actions taken to improve safety,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n The first drop-in session will take place at Bread and Roses Community Cafe on Wednesday, February 18, from 4pm to 7pm.\n<\/p>\n
\n More information about the audit and how to take part is available at womenscyclingauditnorwich.org.uk<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kitty Cresswell Riol, from the Norwich Cycling Campaign, says many women are discouraged from the activity because of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":432301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-432300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}