Women cycling in London: Can we do more to Accelerate Action?

Did you know that fewer than one third of cycle trips in London are taken by women?

This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on the women of the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) who work tirelessly to make cycling a transport option that serves men and women equally across the city.

The LCC Women’s Network, led by a dedicated steering group of volunteers, has championed initiatives like the Women’s Freedom Rides, the “What Stops Women Cycling in London?” report and other vital projects to highlight the challenges women face and drive action to make cycling more inclusive.

We spoke with Mariam Draaijer – founding member of the LCC Women’s Network and Chief Executive of JoyRiders – about the barriers that hold women back and what can be done to Accelerate Action for more women to take up cycling in London.

Can you provide a brief overview of the LCC Women’s Network, and how it got started?

The women’s network started because there weren’t a lot of women involved in the LCC to begin with, and we found a lot of the focus areas within the LCC were dedicated to infrastructure, which is great and very much needed, but it had less of a focus on the needs of women specifically. 

So, we decided to launch the women’s network in 2023 to highlight the issues of why women don’t cycle – specifically in the UK where there is quite a big gender gap within cycling which you don’t find in other countries. 

What are the biggest barriers faced by women that could be stopping them from cycling in London?

What, if anything, is being done to minimise these barriers for women?

Progress is slow, but is also dependent on the borough in which you live. In some boroughs there is a lot done [to minimise these barriers to cycling], but it’s all to do with the willingness of politicians, council officers, and funding – so there’s a lot of different factors that play into it. There has been progress, there definitely has, but it’s just slow and planning takes time. 

Do you feel that more could be done by both city representatives and local communities to help women feel confident to cycle in London?

Attitude change within drivers – being less aggressive towards cyclists – is something that definitely needs more campaigning, and a lot more could be done to prevent it. I think our campaign and recent women’s ride is a good start, and highlighted a lot of the issues that are there. For example, one of the paths we rode through actually had lights installed – they just weren’t switched on. So, sometimes everything is in place, but just isn’t being utilised. 

Looking at existing infrastructure that could be improved with small adjustments to make it feel a lot safer [could also help] – having more lights, more visible police officers at night, you know, just making sure that everything is in place and functioning. Really working with and listening to local communities is also important. When new things are built by councils, TFL, or whoever puts this infrastructure in place – they should come and talk to women to hear our perspective. 

Can you share any inspiring stories of women who have overcome barriers to start cycling?

The women involved in the Women’s Network by the LCC are already generally quite confident riders, but they all have stories to tell that are really quite scary. I think we’ve all had an incident at some point which is really intimidating or scary. 

I’m also with JoyRiders, and we work with women who have just started on their cycling journey, so are really at grassroots level. Here, we had a woman who joined a beginners ride with us without ever having ridden a bike and although she struggled, she made it through and learned to cycle on that ride. She has since gone on to become a volunteer leader at JoyRiders, cycled London to Brighton, bought a second bike and was inspired to take up running too – completing the London marathon last year. I think she’s really inspiring and a great role model, showing that even when you’re older you can achieve so much and it’s never too late to take up cycling, or any other sport for that matter. 

The theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is “Accelerate Action”. 

What message would you like to share with women about the importance of taking action to reclaim a safe public space?

We need more women to take up cycling because the more visible we are the more we will be taken seriously and the more space we will take up. If you aren’t sure – join in on a social bike ride, there are plenty around. Join in and discover London as a cyclist. 

Even with the safety concerns we have and the campaigning we do, London is still a really nice cycling city and is predominantly a safe city to cycle in. I think that’s important to highlight because although we are campaigning for certain adjustments and improvements [to make cycling safer for women in London], there are many cycling routes that are very safe and secure. 

While it’s clear that progress is being made to make cycling safer and more accessible for women in London, there are further steps that could be taken to accelerate action and bolster women’s safety, ensuring a cycling network that’s accessible all year round – day or night.     

For more information on how you can get involved and support change in your area, visit the LCC Women’s Network website to find your local borough’s group.

---

Further resources:

JoyRiders: Empowers women to start cycling through free, volunteer-led social bike rides in London, Manchester, and Oxford. They offer learn to ride sessions, cycle sessions to get confident on the road and social bike rides. 

CycleSaver: The UK’s first and only exclusive provider of cycle to work benefits for bike share – offering flexible monthly and annual subscriptions to the UK’s top bike share providers including Lime, Forest, Santander Cycles (Boris bikes), Dott and Beryl. The cost of a CycleSaver subscription is deducted from an employee’s gross salary (before tax) each month, resulting in tax savings of 28-47% – making cycling more affordable, accessible and convenient than ever.