With the 6th International Conference on Women’s Issues in Transportation taking place in the United States this year, the topic of gender and transportation is highly relevant. The connections between transportation and gender, specifically, can be explained through the demands of carwork, safety concerns, and lack of gendered data collected.
Recent research shows that women cyclists have real reason to be concerned about their safety on the road. We found that drivers were significantly more likely to encroach—i.e. to pass closer than three feet—on female cyclists than on male cyclists. Our study illustrates the scope and pervasiveness of the gender gap in cycling, confirms female cyclists’ concerns about safety on the road, and underscores the need for greater investment in safer facilities like protected bike lanes.
We asked female congressional candidates to share lessons from the campaign and takeaways from their experiences running for office. Here are some of their insights.
