BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I am a woman who uses a bicycle for transportation the same way a person with penis uses transportation.

^^ hahaa, was that in the questionnaire??

stefb wrote:I am a woman who uses a bicycle for transportation the same way a person with penis uses transportation.

NOT TRUE. She's faster & more determined than most of us.

Marko82 wrote:

stefb wrote:I am a woman who uses a bicycle for transportation the same way a person with penis uses transportation.

NOT TRUE. She’s faster & more determined than most of us.

I bet Marko82's right! With my project I'm not trying to make any distinctions between men and women cyclists, but rather focusing on women as a demographic because there are still so few of us. One report found that only 24% of all bike commutes in the US were made by women in 2009, and the vast majority of the newcomers to cycling have been men between 25-64 years old. That's just crazy!

Rungea, come to Flocks and you would be able to talk to most of commuting women in person. :)

Glad to help!

Stef cheats.

No, more like Stef's a special case. Perhaps rungea knows, perhaps not, that Stef is the only woman, ever, to complete Crush The Commonwealth traveling westbound, and one of only a handful to attempt it at all. She is of that Show Everyone Else That It Can Be Done set. I don't know if rungea knows of all the conversations we've had on the board over the years about trying to figure out how to bike to unlikely places like South Hills Village, and Route 48 in Monroeville. Commuter cycling, that is, not a Saturday afternoon training ride. Precisely what the point of this study is about. Stef may not categorize well. In that, she is a hors categorie female bike commuter, and thus worthy of special attention, not aggregated.

she's also being kind of a cranky jerk about everything lately. she really is much nicer than that post makes her seem.

Come on. There are a lot of other women out there that are commuters, and that is badass on its own, no matter the gender. Maybe I am just not getting it. I am nothing special, other than a stubborn masochist.

rungea - " One report found that only 24% of all bike commutes in the US were made by women in 2009, and the vast majority of the newcomers to cycling have been men between 25-64 years old." That is one study. others have found purchasers under 25 are 60% women. My eyes have told me commuters in Pgh are close to 50% female. Are you reading a balance of studies? All we hear about is how women riders are a lower proportion, find it a challenge to start riding in traffic, etc. etc. I don't know if that's true among all female riders anymore and whether the question is even valid. Especially if you consider ridership by age group. I did fill out the questionnaire and wish you luck on your project. The wording of the questions mention nothing about it being a study of women riders, but does imply that it's about finding out why it could be hard to learn to commute by bike. Are you assuming women riders find it hard to become bike commuters?

I filled the survey as well, hope it helps! And yeah, I'm with sara: Are you assuming women riders find it hard to become bike commuters? Or that all women are beginners regardless at commuting?

I completed the survey too. It was thought provoking for me. I realized that no one "trained" me on how to commute. It was just an extension of the riding that I'd been doing since I was a kid. To the playground, to hang out with friends, whatever. As I got older and school was more and more distant, riding was a way to get there faster. I don't think it ever occurred to me that this was somehow different from what I had been doing all my life. The destination had changed, certainly, but not the mode, or the behavior. Fortunately, I lived in a city where bike racks were often full, and cross town commutes of 8-10 miles were not unusual. Thanks for the reminder of how lucky I am, and have been.

Polling women who commute by bike will I'm sure be interesting, but will provide results skewed to those already convinced of that mode. A more interesting and useful poll might be to target, say, women who work in Oakland and live within 10 miles of work, how they get to work, are they aware of alternatives, would they consider alternatives, what might help them use alternatives. Apologies if this is already covered in your research, I did not take the poll, I'm a dude.

sarapgh2 wrote:My eyes have told me commuters in Pgh are close to 50% female.

Yahoo!!! Probably we need to confirm this number but ... Go Pgh, GO!!!

I have some details on gender split on our bicycle counts. I'll post them when I get time. If my memory is accurate, we are nudging a 60/40 male/female ratio in most areas of the City. Not approaching 50/50 in any neighborhood, but the numbers are encouraging.

I thought the OP and some of the rest of you would like to know about a free webinar coming up next week: Women's Work: Bicycle-friendly Communities by Design Wednesday, March 27 | 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. EDT FREE | Register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/314602842 APBP's fourth annual Women Cycling Project webinar features brilliant women working to make communities more bicycle-friendly. Join us as we profile outstanding professionals who develop bicycle plans, projects and programs for communities, encourage children to bicycle to school, and inspire girls to consider careers in transportation. Whether you are a student or professional, a woman or man, this webinar will motivate you to address key reasons keeping people from bicycling for transportation: speeding cars and inattentive drivers. This year's webinar incorporates the 2013 National Women's History Month theme, Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination. This theme honors generations of women who throughout American history have used their intelligence, imagination, sense of wonder, and tenacity to make extraordinary contributions to the STEM fields. Presenters: • Mia Birk, Principal, Alta Planning + Design • Linda DuPriest, Member and Mentor, Women's Transportation Seminar • Jennifer Hefferan, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, District of Columbia Department of Transportation • Norma Moores, Senior Transportation Engineer, IBI Group - Toronto • Jennifer Toole, Principal, Toole Design Group.

Thank you for sharing, Sara! :)

60/40 sounds pretty good to me! The power of Saras:)

so its a 60/40 - Sara / nonSara split? yeah, sounds about right. ;)

webinar? Aw, I thought for a sec I might get to meet Mia Birk. :(

Filled out the survey for yeh... G'luck on your project!

Thanks for posting this! Quick and easy to fill out!