Can we double women's share of bike journeys? Conference aims to find out how

This is partly down to childhood experience. Have you noticed that the usual suspects sell boys and girls bikes reflecting customer preferences ? The girls bikes are typically pink with cute stickers and have girly crossbars and are skilfully crafted out of heavy ships anchors and don't even relate to a child's proportions. They are cul de sac bikes. Move up market a bit and you start seeing lighter unisex children's bikes that match the proportions of real children. Bikes that have components designed for children. Bikes for going places and exploring .....

In our species women are the rate limiting sex when it comes to reproduction so females have evolved to have higher levels of risk aversion than males. In the UK cycling is presented as a risky transport option.

To reduce the perception of risk and therefore increase levels of female participation:
1: Stop banging on about helmets, high vis, reflectives and lights.
2: Actively prevent mainstream press outlets publishing stories about cycling that cast it in a negative/unsafe light.
3: Place the burden of responsibility for cycle safety on vehicle manufacturers, drivers, councils and governments.
4: Improve cycling infrastructure with a network of roads that cars can't use rather than a network of footpaths that cyclist are allowed to use.
5: Promote Active Collision Avoidance and Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety features on new vehicles with a reduction in Duty and Insurance.
6: Redesign towns and cities to limit the speed of vehicles to 20mph whist ensuring there is room for cycles to be visibly able to move around freely.

I had a glance at the list of conference participants. Quite a good list, no doubt all aware of the obvious importance of getting proper infrastructure.
Political acceptability of infrastructure doesn't come out of nowhere. "More talk" can mean more organisation, more idea swapping among people trying to achieve that and other goals (a good thing). This isn't a politicians' push-the-issue-down-the-road conference (a bad thing), going on my glance at the linked page.

I agree infrastructure is the main problem, but its legal to have a dress code requiring women to wear heals and a skirt to work, which means a change of footwear even for a short journeys. Lots hybrids for sale in the UK are not as skirt friendly as traditional dutch bikes. Handbags are a arse to manage on a bike. Women are used to being judged based on appearance.

All of this is pretty easy for a women to overcome if she wants to cycle, but it still all acts as barriers to entry. (Although requiring staff to wear things that are known to damage peoples' health should be banned).

Still, in the absence of decent infrastructure and the world getting less shit, retailers could try selling more hub geared, utility bikes that come with guards and a basket.

Time and time again research has shown that the reason people in the uk don't ride bikes is fear of traffic. That fear is ten fold when you're riding with your children.
Dutch style infrastructure is what is needed, not more talk. We know what the problem is, we know what the answer is.

Rachel Aldred is really doing great work on cycle safety. This will be good debate, I hope it's well advertised and attended. It would have also been good to see Katja Leydendecker in the mix.

From my own experience of talking to women cyclists I think the answer the conference will come up with is that women in the UK don't feel safe cycling on our roads.

I've been cycling on our roads for over 50 years and with the shocking state of the roads nowadays and the number of irresponsible drivers using mobile devices, I don't feel safe anymore.

As Joemmo says, what this country needs is safe cycling infrastructure.

Basically we need to ensure that all women are equipped with a flashing helmet, body armour, 360 camera coverage, gps tracker, collision radar, audible warning system, a concealed firearm and painted head to toe with luminous reflective paint. Pretty sure that'll get the numbers up.

Or we could just build some safe cycle infrastructure. There, just saved a few bob on the conference.