The majority of Welsh women never cycle, says sustainable transport charity
Sustrans. Around 70 per cent, in a survey commissioned from BMRB, said they
never get on a bike.
Women in Wales said they were not put off by the dramatic Welsh hills or the
changeable weather. Instead, their top reason for not cycling was that it takes too
long. Yet Sustrans research has shown many people misjudge relative journey
times, underestimating the length of car journeys and overestimating how long the
same journey would take by bike. In fact, travelling by car over short distances
saves little or no time.*
Other major concerns for Welsh women included worries about being too old to
cycle. This is a dramatic contrast to the Netherlands where women over the age of
65 ride an average of three times the distance of a typical 19 year old British man.
By not cycling, Welsh women are missing out on the huge benefits to improving
fitness and well-being. Cycling is an effective way to get in shape and it raises the
body’s metabolic rate, helping the weight to stay off. Regular cyclists are as fit as an
average person ten years younger.
It’s good for the purse too, as keeping a bike costs just a fraction of keeping a car.
Jane Lorimer, Deputy Director for Sustrans Cymru said ‘With many women spending
vast amounts of money trying to lose weight through gym membership and diet
regimes, it seems we are still unaware that cycling is a cheaper and more efficient
way of reaching target weight, toning up and getting from A to B all in one go.
‘A map showing Britain’s greatest areas of obesity, published in 2008, highlighted
Wales as the nation with the highest levels of overweight people in the UK. It’s a
problem that affects both men and women, but we know that women are particularly
unlikely to take up cycling as part of the solution. That’s why Sustrans Cymru will be
leading a series of activities this year to try and turn that around. We’ll also be
recruiting a group of women as cycling champions and encouraging them to give
bikes a try.’
A new website www.bikebelles.org.uk goes live on Wednesday 11 March featuring
information specifically for women on how to get cycling, what to wear and where to
go.
Cycling celebrities including Dawn Porter and Alice Roberts are lending their support,
and a specially recruited women’s panel who range from non to fair-weather cyclists
will share ideas and experiences, try out bike training, and "road test" cycling
products such as lights, bags and clothing. Sustrans will also be organising cycle
rides in the summer using traffic-free sections of the National Cycle Network.
Later in the year Sustrans will use the feedback and ideas gathered from women
throughout the year to inform its work. This will include proposals to the Welsh
Assembly on how to help more women get out and about on bikes to the benefit of
their health, the environment and the economy.