“Don’t leave girls behind”: Calls to address gender gap for children cycling, as new report finds almost twice as many boys ride bikes as girls – and 80% of children want traffic-free routes and pavement parking bans

Sustrans has urged policymakers to tackle the barriers preventing girls from cycling, after the active travel charity’s first ever Children’s Walking and Cycling Index report found that almost twice as many boys regularly ride their bikes as girls.

The new report, which surveyed 1,089 children between the ages of six and 15 across the UK to analyse young people’s travel behaviours and attitudes, revealed that just 17 per cent of girls cycle at least five times a week, a figure that rises to 28 per cent when assessing boys’ cycling habits.

Likewise, only eight per cent of girls surveyed see themselves as “someone who often cycles”, as opposed to 17 per cent of boys.

This disparity, the report found, could be linked to views on safety – when asked whether they thought their local area is a good place to cycle, 66 per cent of girls agreed, compared to 72 per cent of boys, while just 65 per cent of girls believe that the safety in their local area is good, as opposed to 70 per cent of boys.

Children cycling in pop-up lane (YouTube) (credit: road.cc)

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Other factors, such as gendered approaches to cycling and clothing choices, also come into play. For example, one of the girls surveyed by Sustrans, Lily, a secondary school pupil from Swansea, told the charity that she used to cycle around her neighbourhood and in the local parks, but “grew out of it”.

“I think many girls my age don’t really tend to cycle or use bikes. It's not really seen as cool and we can be quite self-conscious about that,” Lily said.

“I think this is because our clothes don't really allow us, especially if we’re wearing skirts, and it seems a lot of the equipment for cycling is made for men instead of women.”

According to Sustrans, the “worrying” gender gap flagged in the report “means fewer girls are likely to either start or continue cycling as they grow up, depriving them of the benefits cycling brings; improved health, economic and education opportunities, and access to nature.”

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Elsewhere in the report, it was found that just 48 per cent of children cycle at least once a week, and that just 14 per cent of all trips are made by bike.

More encouragingly, however, 23 per cent of children cycle five or more times each week, and 51 per cent say they want to cycle more – the highest percentage of any form of transport surveyed.

When taking active travel into account more generally, 55 per cent of children’s journeys are made by walking, wheeling, scooting, or cycling, while 85 per cent of children actively travel at least five times a week.

However, 33 per cent of all journeys are still made by car and van, while 54 per cent of children reported being driven at least five times a week, highlighting their dependency on adults for transport.

Nevertheless, the report makes it clear that children are adamant that the government and local authorities should implement measures to make cycling and walking safer.

81 per cent supported more traffic-free paths and quiet routes for walking and cycling, while 78 per cent agreed that more protected cycle paths should be constructed beside roads and separated from motor traffic.

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Meanwhile, 66 per cent backed closing streets to cars during school drop-off and pick-up times, and 70 per cent said they wanted lower speed limits.

Over three-quarters of the children surveyed (76 per cent) also called for measures to prevent motorists from parking their cars on pavements.

More generally, 80 per cent feel it is harder for people to get around without a car, while just under half argued that they don’t feel the government does enough to help people without a car access the things they need to live well.

79 per cent also said they would find it useful if parks, shops, and playgrounds were closer to their home, while just over a quarter agreed that the government was doing enough to tackle climate change.

The report’s findings will be discussed during Sustrans’ Children’s Index Summit in May, which will host representatives from local and central government, along with the active travel sector, as the charity calls for children’s safety and health-based needs to be prioritised when councils are planning transport improvements in their area.

“Children want to cycle and expect our leaders to tackle the barriers stopping them,” Rachel Toms, Sustrans’ Director of Urbanism and UK Programmes, said in a statement.

“We’re asking local and national policymakers to act on children’s enthusiasm for cycling by making sure they invest in more traffic-free and quiet cycle paths so that more children feel safe to get on their bike and get all the lifestyle and health benefits cycling offers.

“Children’s views on transport are too often overlooked by policymakers. We look forward to working with local authorities to improve streets for children, making it safer and more accessible for everyone to get around actively and so we don’t leave girls behind.”