As DOTS pushes biking, gender gap persists

Although a bicycle count conducted earlier this semester showed women account for only one in five campus cyclists, DOTS isn't planning any female-centric efforts as part of a campus-wide push for increased cycling next semester.

A bike count conducted in October found the total number of bicycle users on the campus had increased marginally from last year's 5.1 percent, causing worries that officials won't be able to meet a goal to increase that number to 9 percent by 2012. A campus bike plan approved last year laid out a number of ways to increase cycling, including adding bike lanes, creating a bicycle advisory group and increasing bike parking.

Although they don't see the lower number of women bicyclists as a roadblock to their goals, they are hopeful the number of female riders can increase.

"Overall, we want to increase the number of female cyclists on the campus," Department of Transportation Services Director David Allen said. "Part of [Assistant to the Director of DOTS Beverly Malone's] plan is to increase the number of female bikers. I have no reason to believe she won't achieve that."

The bike count was conducted by counting bikers at 10 different campus locations at different times Oct. 21 and 22.

Next semester, DOTS officials hope adding more bike parking, continuing to hand out stronger U-Locks for bikes and holding a biker education week in April will encourage students to bike instead of driving.

But members of the bicycle advisory group don't believe enough is being done to ensure the department is going to meet its goals.

"They're insanely behind," said Student Government Association Director of Environmental Affairs Joanna Calabrese, noting the department is supposed to spend $1 million on biking over the next three years but has only budgeted $100,000. "They're really trying, but they have limited financial resources. If they want to be called the Department of Transportation Services, they need to do more than just give out $75 parking tickets."

But Malone said the lack of a sharp increase wasn't surprising because most of the improvements to bike infrastructure have been made this year.

"This didn't surprise me because all of the significant improvements to biking were made after the start of the semester, so students already had bikes on campus," she said.
DOTS officials would like to see the number of female cyclists increase by next year's count, Malone said, pointing to hygiene and safety as reasons for why so few women bike.

"When we surveyed people about why they don't bike, a lot of people cared about hygiene," she said. "For women especially — when you put on a helmet, you mess up your hair."

Calabrese, who bikes regularly on the campus, agreed that women at the university have a heightened awareness of security and that could be a reason why so few bike.

"We see more women using NITE Ride and walking in pairs," she said. "They are more conscious about being safe. That could translate to biking."

Freshman letters and sciences major Eugenia Melandri doesn't bike on the campus because she feels it is more convenient to walk.

"I don't want to have the responsibility of taking care of a bike, since it would always have to be outside," Melandri said. "I would have to make sure it's always there and that no one took it."

Next semester, the department is planning several major initiatives to push biking as a safe and convenient mode of transportation.

April 4 to 9 will mark Biker Education Week, which will include a bike rally to encourage cycling and a commuter bike celebration where commuters will receive a free breakfast.

"This education program is coming in response to getting feedback from people who say they don't know how to bike safely in the roads," Malone said. "We're going to be educating bikers and drivers on how to be safe in the street, like how much space cars should give bikers when they pass."

The department will likely continue to give out U-locks to cyclists for free or at reduced prices to ensure more bikes are being protected from thieves.

More bike parking has been continuously added throughout this semester, and DOTS will continue to do so next semester. DOTS has been working with Residential Facilities to streamline the process of adding extra parking to ensure that there are enough spots to accommodate the number of cyclists they hope will bike on the campus.

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