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Cycling: Women

Asked by Anneliese DoddsLabour (Co-op)Department for TransportTabled Answered 9 June 2025UIN 55347

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to work with (a) schools, (b) employers and (c) community groups to encourage cycling by women and girls.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

The Department and Active Travel England (ATE) work with local authorities and other delivery partners to support active travel outreach programmes for underrepresented groups, including women and girls.

Design guidance for new infrastructure, such as that funded through the Active Travel Fund, requires that new schemes are accessible to all users, including women. ATE is working with local authorities to provide high-quality cycling infrastructure including as part of multi-modal schemes. This includes providing lighting for walking and cycling schemes, improving social safety and delivering road safety improvements to existing schemes.

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of cycling on women’s safety. Annual reported road casualty statistics published by the Department provide a breakdown of reported casualties by sex.

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