01339650

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/165294.aspx

In the United States, men’s total bicycle trips surpass women’s by a ratio of at least 2:1. Gender differences in perceptions of bicycling safety, combined with the effect of bicycle facility type, could help explain the different cycling rates for men and women. The United Nations and the European Union (EU) have recognized that women and men have different transportation needs, and the EU requires explicit recognition of these differences in national transport policies and implementation. Currently, the indices or measures commonly used to evaluate American bicycle infrastructure do not account for gender differences. Bicycle facility design is often guided by design cyclist categories that define bicyclists by how well they ride in vehicular traffic. Female cyclists have been shown to prefer more separation from vehicular traffic than male cyclists, which can lead to women having to choose to travel on bicycle facilities that have been designed for safety rather than to provide a convenient route to community services. The imbalance of U.S. bicycle trip rates by gender is an indicator that American bicycle infrastructure does not serve the needs of all bicyclists. Two gender-neutral indices, the bicycle compatibility index and the bicycle level-of-service index, which are commonly used to assess U.S. bicycle infrastructure, are compared with the Netherlands’ bicycle infrastructure survey in an effort to understand the association of gender-neutral versus gender-sensitive policies on bicycle infrastructure design and assessment.

01339628

English

pp 254-263

2011

Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings

4th International Conference on Women's Issues in Transportation

9780309160834

Print

References (51) ; Tables (2)

Bicycle facilities; Bicycle lanes; Bikeways; Design; Gender

Bicycle safety

Netherlands; United States

Design; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Terminals and Facilities; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure

TRIS, TRB

May 10 2011 2:14PM

• A Commitment to Continue? Comparing Women and Men Commuters Who Choose Transit over Driving Alone
• Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here: Understanding the Problem of “Eve Teasing” in Chennai, India
• Appreciation of Gender Differences in Development of Qualitative Level of Service for Sidewalks
• Changing Travel Patterns of Women in the Netherlands
• Driving Miss Daisy: Older Women as Passengers
• Effects of Gender on Commuter Behavior Changes in the Context of a Major Freeway Reconstruction
• Female Involvement in U.S. Fatal Crashes Under a Three-Level Hierarchical Crash Model: Mediating and Moderating Factors
• Gender Differences in Adolescent Travel to School: Exploring the Links with Physical Activity and Health
• Gender Differences in Attitudes to and Mobility Impacts of Driving Cessation
• Gender Differences in Self-Reported Evacuation Experiences: Analysis of the City Assisted Evacuation Program During Hurricane Gustav
• Gender Equality as a Subsidiary Objective of Swedish Transport Policy: What Has Happened Since 2004?
• Gender Mainstreaming in Transportation: Impact of Management Control
• How Does Fear of Sexual Harassment on Transit Affect Women’s Use of Transit?
• Investigation of Differences in Crash Characteristics Between Males and Females Involved in Fatigue-Related Crashes or Close-Call Events
• Older Women’s Travel Patterns and Road Accident Involvement in Britain
• Postpartum Fatigue and Driving: Relating Experiences, Thoughts, and Opinions 12 Weeks After Birth
• Privacy and Gender: Reviewing Women’s Attitudes Toward Privacy in the Context of Intelligent Transportation Systems and Location-Based Services
• Spatial Variation in Motor Vehicle Crashes by Gender in the Houston, Texas, Metropolitan Area
• Traffic Violations Versus Driving Errors: Implications for Older Female Drivers
• Travel Time and Distance Regarding Gender Patterns in the Paris Region: Past Trends and Forecasts to 2030
• What Do Existing Household Surveys Tell Us About Gender and Transportation in Developing Countries?
• What Is the Role of Mothers in Transit-Oriented Development? The Case of Osaka–Kyoto–Kobe, Japan
• Women and Men in Public Consultations of Road-Building Projects
• Women’s Safety and Security Issues with Bicycling and Walking: Examination of Potential Planning, Design, and Technology Solutions
• Young Women’s Transportation and Labor Market Experiences
• Youth Transport, Mobility, and Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Gendered Journey to School