Women don’t cycle: A cycling training course to improve emancipation on the road

Keeping women’s and childrens‘ perceptions and needs top of mind would make urban transport better for society in general

Ongoing research by Automat in the CEAML project suggests that only around 23% of cyclists in Prague are women (data from 2023 & 2024, publication forthcoming). This is comparable to countries worldwide. International research suggests this gap stems from safety concerns, inadequate infrastructure, societal expectations, and women’s diverse responsibilities. Philip Amaral (European Cyclists’ Federation, ECF) said in an interview with the United Nations: „While there’s limited research on this subject, studies on transportation habits indicate that traditionally, activities like driving or cycling are more associated with men. The historical development of road infrastructure, especially since World War Two, often designed with a male-dominated workforce in mind, has influenced commuting patterns. Cycling tends to be perceived as a predominantly male activity.“

By not keeping the diversity of needs, skills and perceptions of safety of all members of the public in mind when designing infrastructure, an opportunity to improve equality, opportunity and sustainability for all is lost. Keeping women’s and childrens‘ perceptions and needs top of mind would make urban transport better for society in general. A positive example here would be Ostrava’s new Cycling Concept, which acknowledged the need for every street to be safe for cycling, not just a few marked cycling routes.

The Netherlands: no gender gap and a traffic exam for 11-year olds

In the Netherlands this gender gap in cycling does not exist (in fact, women cycle more than men according to the Dutch statistics agency). Obviously, the infrastructure is much better, but parents also spend a lot of time teaching their young children how to participate in actual traffic. At the age of 11, in grade 7 of primary school, children have special lessons to learn the traffic rules and theory. As a closing activity, the students take a real practical exam, riding their bikes through the neighbourhood or village on their own, with parents observing as the jury. Everyone graduates with a diploma. With such preparation, girls can feel just as confident as boys when riding their bikes.

Because being able to ride a bike is such a necessity for living in the Netherlands, the Fietsersbond (cyclists‘ union) also organizes cycling courses for migrants, schools and senior citizens. These courses can give people just that little bit of extra confidence to choose the bike for their commutes, and increase/maintain their health, experience their surroundings, and travel in an environmentally friendly way.

In Czechia, learning about participation in traffic is part of the school curriculum, but the ‚practical‘ part consists of children cycling around the infamous traffic playgrounds. It seems that in most cases, that’s not enough experience, both for the students and for car drivers, to be able to share the public road together. It is therefore not surprising that many adults, and in particular women, do not choose to ride a bike, even when they would like to.

However, even when the infrastructure is not particularly inviting for women, as it is in Prague, and the build up of training and experience as children is not sufficient, it’s not impossible for women to cycle. Especially since the infrastructure is slowly improving, we should take every opportunity to show that women want more. A lot of skills improve with training and experience. A training course that teaches women how to navigate the spotty infrastructure, build their confidence, and increase their sense of safety can therefore help a few extra women to start using their bikes in the city and experience more joy than stress.

Lucie's training course in Prague

Lucie Ryzlerová was born in Prague and is currently 32 years old. She learned to ride a bike as a child. A visit to the Netherlands in 2015, where she commuted by bike like a local, showed her the joy of moving around the city that way. It gave her the courage to start using a bike for transportation in Prague and experience the joy here as well. She says that a decade ago she experienced less fear to start riding because of lower car volumes and less aggression. She feared the crossroads the most, where a lot of things are happening at the same time: accelerating after a green light, understanding the right of way, dealing with pedestrians on the crossing, where to position yourself in order to be seen by others, but not unnecessarily obstruct them. New routes also brought extra stress, due to the unknown and possible surprises. Nowadays, although there is more cycling infrastructure, many obstacles remain, but with some training and confidence building, the pro’s of bike commuting definitely outweigh the cons. Lucie uses an e-bike for her commutes around this hilly city, and the difference is huge.

The main goal is to help women gain confidence to start cycling around Prague

In May she participated in a ‚train-the-trainer‘ course in Brussels organized by EIT Urban Mobility. This is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, that aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility. In their TandEM programme they train women across the EU to lead cycling training sessions for other women. In June she organized her first course in Prague, with 5 participants.

The course focused on women age 25-40, who already know how to cycle. Since most people in Czechia do learn how to ride a bicycle when they are young, it was not necessary to include the basics of balancing, peddling and steering in the course. The main goal was to help women gain confidence to start cycling around Prague. Women are often more anxious to start cycling without the help of a friend or someone more experienced.

The course consisted of 4 lessons, during 4 consecutive weeks in June:

1. Exercises to assess each participant’s skill level (like showing before turning, full stop, slalom, etc.) and some theory. It’s important to know where you are allowed to ride on your bike and where not, and the meaning of the most important road signs and traffic rules.
2. More skills training on a traffic playground and a real ride in the city to experience different situations.
3. How to take care of your bike: maintenance and repair, including a practical part, changing the tire and repairing a tube.
4. E-bikes: riding through the city, dealing with situations, and experiencing how big a difference e-bikes make in Prague’s hilly terrain.

EIT Urban Mobility provided a decent budget that allowed Lucie to provide bikes if participants did not have one. Bikes were rented from Nextbike. Kolovna provided the e-bikes.

Maria, who participated in the course in June, said the course taught her a lot about the elements of the infrastructure that are specifically designed for bikes: which crossings can also be used by bikes, how to use the bike boxes in front of traffic lights, to slow down on junctions, and show by hand where she is going, and that the black and white textual signs underneath the general traffic signs often hold clues for cyclists. She understands better how the interplay of cars, bikes and pedestrians (should) work, and what everyone’s rights are on mixed paths. „I’m now less confused and more confident, which is good for everybody’s safety.“

In September Lucie plans to organize a second course. You can find the link to the registration form below.

What do you think about training courses?

Do you think there are any specific obstacles for women and children, that keep us/them from using the bike for commuting around Prague? What’s it like in other Czech cities? And what’s your opinion about the way a Czech upbringing prepares you for  your participation in traffic? Would you be interested in participating in or organizing a training course yourself? Let us know!