Make streets safer and give women “real freedom to travel” by focusing on cycling as well as walking, campaigners tell government

Cycling UK, in response to Active Travel England’s (ATE) new practical guidance for councils, has urged the UK government to prioritize cycling infrastructure to enhance women's safety and "real freedom to travel." The campaign group highlighted that improving conditions for women on bikes inherently benefits all road users, advocating for dedicated, safe cycling paths as a core component of active travel strategies. This call reinforces the growing demand for inclusive urban planning focused on cycling.

This intervention arrives as ATE, the government's executive agency for active travel, rolls out its latest directives to local authorities, aiming to standardize and improve walking and cycling provisions. Cycling UK's emphasis on women's safety taps into a critical and often overlooked aspect of transport planning: the perception of risk disproportionately affects women's willingness to cycle. Their argument suggests that current infrastructure often fails to meet the specific safety and accessibility needs required to unlock cycling's full potential for a broader demographic.

Ultimately, this isn't just about women; it's about the fundamental failure of current infrastructure to inspire confidence. Until cycling is genuinely perceived as safe and convenient for *everyone*, particularly the most vulnerable, these "guidances" remain just that – guidance, not revolution.