Why Not More Women Cyclists On The Road In Louisiana?

City planners would love to have more people on their bikes, to alleviate both pollution and traffic. Bike lanes painted on streets and car-free bike trails have increased ridership over the years, but the overall share of the population relying on bicycles for transportation is still hovering around a paltry 2 percent. Bicycle accidents in Louisiana regularly remind us both how vulnerable bikers are, and how much work still needs to be done to improve the infrastructure. Is it too early to call on women to experience urban bicycling?

In the U.S., men's cycling trips surpass women's by at least two to one. These proportions are markedly different in some European countries. In the Netherlands, 27 percent of all trips are made by bicycle and 55 percent of the riders are women. In Germany the corresponding figures are 12 percent and 49 percent.

Researchers on bicycle use consider the proportion of female bikers to be a reliable indicator of the "bike-ability" of an urban environment. There are several reasons for that:

• Studies across various disciplines (criminology, accidents, child rearing, etc.) have indicated that women are more averse to risk than men. In bicycling, this translates into an increased demand for a safe bicycle infrastructure;
• Women do most of the child rearing and household work, which means that bike routes need to be organized around practical urban destinations.

Women won't hop on a bike just because the infrastructure has become better, though. Comfort (steep hills or excessive heat for instance) and the cost and need of a car are other factors that influence women's cycling rates.

The conclusion might be that if very few women engage in cycling in your area, it is probably because it is not safe, and this should be an excellent reason for you to take all the precautions you can to avoid bicycle accidents and protect yourself if you can't.

If you have been hurt in a bicycle accident caused by someone else, contact the New Orleans accident attorneys of the Young Firm for a FREE discussion of your case.