A recent City of Calgary survey found that over 75% of cyclists commutingto downtown Calgary are male. The intent of this research is to determinewhether this is also true of cyclists commuting to a campus, and if so, what obstacles are preventing women from bicycling and what measures could increase the number of female commuter cyclists. An online survey was conducted to collect information from potential, occasional, and regular cyclists. Analysis confirmed that women are more likely than men to be possibleor occasional cyclists, while men are more likely than women to be regular cyclists. In addition, female cyclists were found to cycle less frequently than male cyclists belonging to the same cyclist category. Both of these findings suggest that if women's cycling needs were addressed, the modalshare of bicycle commuting could be increased. Investigation of cycling barriers indicated that women are more concerned than men with safety issues associated with cycling, with being able to carry daily items while cycling, and with the need to fix their hair upon arrival. In analysis of desired improvements, women were found to place a higher value on bicycle mapsand literature, but share similar facility preferences with men. Very high proportions of both genders indicated a desire for bicycle lanes, more pathways, and more direct bicycle routes. Analysis of falls and collisions suggested that men and women experience a similar number of falls per unitof exposure, while men experience more collisions per unit exposure than women do.
Abstract