Pedals

My Ride Our Right.

In response to Cycling UK’s campaign My Ride. Our Right, Pedals recently hosted, with support from Women in Tandem and NottsCTC, a workshop for women to discuss improving and increasing cycling amongst women within the Nottingham area.

20 women met to discuss barriers to their cycling and a lively discussion ensued. We identified many reasons women tend to be discouraged from cycling as much as they might if these barriers did not exist.

Often these barriers are found on recognised and signed cycling routes

Barriers were both physical and societal and broadly aligned with those identified nationally by Cycling UK.

These barriers included:

• Feeling safe
• Tend to use canals during the day only as often poor surface, ruts no lights so dark at night and the feeling that you are stuck with few exits.
• Cycle routes often use parks and places that are dark, especially at night
• May be fine for groups but lonely for individuals
• Leave you feeling vulnerable – many women feel this way
• Need to plan ahead to avoid lonely areas
• Paths not consistent – surface, lit….
• Gates and barriers on paths which are not accessible hence discriminate those with non standard cycles or have disabilities and may find it hard to manoeuvre cycles
• Lack of width on paths and barriers, many modern handlebars are wider
• Topography – some areas are hillier than others
• Paths and cycle track provision varies between areas, some have more and which join up others few or may not join into a larger network
• Nor all children get a chance to learn to ride or are included in Bikeability courses which take place in schools
• Language barriers
• Lack of respect from drivers. Seems to be aimed more at women cycling. They try to intimidate you, close pass, shout unpleasant remarks. Id this because they aniticipate women less likely to retaliate?
• Some very confident (mainly male and often undertaking food deliveries) cyclists less tolerant of slower cyclists. Often women riding for utility journeys, may have shopping or wearing ‘destination’ clothes.
• Cultural barriers
• Message given that physical exercise, including cycling is not for girls

 

We than discussed what we can do to reduce these barriers

• Involve women more in planning to ensure paths and routes inclusive at all times. This will ensure routes are suitable for children and less able
• No more ‘joke’ paths which are worse than none. Many of these can be very short or painted narrow strips with little more space that the gutter. Full of debris, holes drain covers, and lead drivers to close pass thinking you have a suitable cycle lane
• Paths need to be segregated as is the one along Castle Boulevard.
• Paths need to be cleaned, swept and gritted in winter.
• No parking allowed on cycle paths and tracks
• On road paths and tracks are often potholed and have a very poor road surface
• More cycle training for all children
• More education and help as to where routes are and go to and how to access training, mechanics, rides
• Better and more signage
• In addition to PDF and printed maps have a map of the city showing cycle routes and recommended roads which can be downloaded to such as Garmin or phones. Open street mapping?
• Get councillors out cycling
• Safer areas to leave cycles in the city centre
• Resources for police to be able to deal with stolen cycles and apprehend thiefs
• High profile city cycling champion advocating for cycling. It was acknowledged that Nottingham City was more proactive and successful than surrounding districts with Cycling and Walking Advisory Group (CAWAG) meetings and provision of cycle facilities

 

The meeting concluded with looking at some local issues pertinent to cycling and women.

• Poor infrastructure in the north of Nottingham
• Some areas have many busy roads with less infrastructure and quieter roads such as Sneinton
• We need infrastructure everywhere that connects to form a network rather than just bits
• More information as to where to cycle and where infrastructure takes you with links and maybe what there is segregated path, on road, quiet streets
• Information of what groups are available relating to cycling in Nottingham including cycle repairs and shops
• Currently can only access city map as a PDF. Need one that is downloadable electronically
• More consistently good road, cycle path and cycle track surfaces. Currently very variable especially when off road
• 20mph zones need enforcing
• Too much speeding by other traffic
• It was noted that generally NCT bus drivers were aware and courteous to those on cycles but several reported issues from Trent Barton bus drivers including accidents serious enough to report to them
• More public education of how to behave towards those cycling including awareness of the latest version of the Highway Code.

 

We had been a useful discussion and has given Pedals, NottsCTC and Women in Tandem direct information from local women of where we may need to focus our work, rides, campaigning and ideas for the future.

 

Do contact Pedals with any more comments or ideas and check our website to see what we already do and please support us. You can also join the facebook Nottingham Cycle Chat group.   https://www.pedals.org.uk/

 

NottsCTC run regular longer rides,  http://www.nottsctc.org.uk/.

 

Women in Tandem run a varied programme for women from cycle training to how to maintain and repair you cycle and run regular rides from those for those new to cycling to those ready to cycle further afield.  https://womenintandem.org.uk/

 

Cycling UK   https://www.cyclinguk.org/

My ride Our Right https://www.cyclinguk.org/my-ride-our-right

Next steps.

Cycling UK is organising a night of action on 22 October 2025 for mass ‘light up the night’ rides linked with our new campaign ‘My ride. Our right’ that is focusing on making cycling feel safer for women.

Do let us know if you would be interested in joining or even helping to organise a ride in Nottingham.

 

Most of all thank you to those who gave their time to come along to support us, join the conversation and make the evening a success. We now have more understanding of some of the barriers women experience when cycling and ideas for solutions. Be assured we will do our best to act upon your ideas and suggestions.