Photo: David Keogh
“Few people cycle in Scarborough — and of those, says a new report, “very few are women.”
Yet the document launched on Jan. 17 — “Building Bike Culture Beyond Downtown” — suggests that women could benefit from more cycling infrastructure in Scarborough.
To start, nearly half the area’s female residents — 46 per cent — don’t have a driver’s license.
In many Scarborough neighbourhoods, more than 25 per cent of households don’t own a car, and many have poor access to public transit, The Centre for Active Transportation says.
So why aren’t more Scarborough women, who tend to make more short trips than men, venturing out on two wheels?
Women are more sensitive than men to safety, and in Scarborough — where there’s little separation from traffic — they’re less likely to be the “strong and fearless cyclists” seen on major suburban roads, says Trudy Ledsham, lead researcher for Beyond Downtown.
“For women to bike, they require more security.””
Read the full article, “Though half don’t drive, ‘few’ women cycle in Scarborough, report says”.