Read on Twitter
Summary of my #LSMATS response...
We need to consider how (or if) the gender data gap was considered in the design of the #LSMATS and ask what specific actions are envisaged to address gender disparities in active travel (1/10)
We need to consider how (or if) the gender data gap was considered in the design of the #LSMATS and ask what specific actions are envisaged to address gender disparities in active travel (1/10)
The heavy reliance on Green Ways and secondary routes / industrial estates (!) in #LSMATS to deliver safe cycling routes will fail to address the gender gap in active travel for two reasons: (2/10)
Reason 1 - Women's travel choices are largely impacted by personal security concerns. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847817301043?casa_token=Lf6CnomfSgkAAAAA:o2EsRkPhA6iUoa2B-gadmA8zcm5_APiVDEd7wcU2KMcz6hA4Qq2_8YMuOfhZ4WtfZybkQIif (3/10)
Investigations into the "gender step gap" revealed some of the lengths women go to in order to feel safe in public spaces: https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/oct/11/paying-to-stay-safe-why-women-dont-walk-as-much-as-men (4/10)
Reliance on Green Ways as key strategic routes will exclude women or indeed anyone who would feel vulnerable in such settings. This is an unequal mobility opportunity and is simply discriminatory (5/10)
Reason 2: Household related travel: the burden of which often falls disproportionately on women https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885911000746 (6/10)
Planning fails to recognise that the school run is often a multi-purpose trip, a networked journey that serves more than one purpose (shopping, banking, medical appointments etc.) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21650020.2018.1553628 (7/10)
Focussing on cycling to school without adequate provision for trip-chaining disadvantages care givers, who may loose time saved through active travel by having to repeat those trips at a later stage by car. In the study cited above, the use of cargo bikes is presented (8/10)
The cyclist envisaged by the #LSMATS is not a diverse one. Cycling has changed rapidly and the equipment and technology especially assistive technology and e-bikes have changed the needs of cyclists and again this is not reflected in the strategy. (9/10)
