Building a Women Bike Friendly America
Two of the nation’s top bike researchers weigh in on how to get more women riding By Carolyn Szczepanski
E
ach January, more than 10,000 of the brightest minds in urban mobility gather in Washington, D.C. for the Transportation Research Board meeting. For me, two names stood out of the impressive crowd: Susan Handy from the University of California-Davis and Jennifer Dill from Portland State University. Just a decade ago, there was very little research around bicycling in the U.S. — even in the nation’s two premier cycling cities. Handy and Dill helped to change that with surveys and studies that have revealed why and how Americans ride. But more than that, these two have led the way in researching women and bicycling, as well. Over lunch we had a wide-ranging conversation on what they’ve learned thus far — and where we need to focus to close the gender gap. Here are some of their insights… Photo by Patrick Barber
in the u.s. in 2009, Women accounted for just
22 AMERICAN BICYCLIST
of bike trips