Easy as riding a bike? Bicycling competence as (re)learning to negotiate space

Gendered travel behaviour in micromobility? Travel speed and route choice through the lens of intersecting identities

“…It is noteworthy that women subscribed to the bikesharing system are the group that uses cycling infrastructure the least, particularly when it is shared with motorised vehicles. This result may be explained by the fact that some women cyclists might feel discouraged to compete for their right to occupy that space, even in streets with fully dedicated cycling infrastructure (Heim LaFrombois, 2019;Ravensbergen, 2022;Sersli et al, 2022). This unwillingness to assertively negotiate traffic is more persistent in spatial contexts with strong norms of male appropriation of public space (Sayagh and Dusong, 2021) and Barcelona's traffic could be framed as one of such environments since the drivers' fleet is highly masculinised (Cubells et al, 2020).…”

“…In the case of cyclists, fast riding has long been associated with an embodied performance of normative masculinity and assertions of spatial dominance (Popan, 2019), that some authors refer to as 'careless masculinity' (Balkmar, 2018). When facing such attitudes, women cyclists have been found to adopt two types of strategies: (1) desisting to compete for their right to occupy the bicycle lane by changing their riding schedules/routes or (2) mirroring fast riding practices (Heim LaFrombois, 2019;Sersli et al, 2022). On the one hand, women reported 'feeling in the way' when encountering aggressive male riding behaviours in the bicycle lane (Sersli et al, 2022).…”

“…When facing such attitudes, women cyclists have been found to adopt two types of strategies: (1) desisting to compete for their right to occupy the bicycle lane by changing their riding schedules/routes or (2) mirroring fast riding practices (Heim LaFrombois, 2019;Sersli et al, 2022). On the one hand, women reported 'feeling in the way' when encountering aggressive male riding behaviours in the bicycle lane (Sersli et al, 2022). This feeling is rooted in the idea that public spaces have historically been framed as masculine, productive spaces, and women are socialised to perceive that they should not be in them, or if they are then they should minimise their presence whenever possible (Heim LaFrombois, 2019;Sayagh and Dusong, 2021).…”

“…This feeling is rooted in the idea that public spaces have historically been framed as masculine, productive spaces, and women are socialised to perceive that they should not be in them, or if they are then they should minimise their presence whenever possible (Heim LaFrombois, 2019;Sayagh and Dusong, 2021). On the other hand, the second response to fast riding is that women often feel pressured to cycle more rapidly, thus reproducing masculine gender stereotypes (Heim LaFrombois, 2019;Sersli et al, 2022).…”

“…Increased visibility is perceived to intensify harassment against women, and the same is stated when gender intersects with other identities, such as race (Balkmar, 2018;Lubitow et al, 2019;Ravensbergen, 2022). Having to deal with increased visibility and the prospect of harassment has a direct effect on the spatial behaviour of women using micromobility, as they develop specific strategies such as avoiding isolated or low-density urban spaces during night-time hours (Pellicer-Chenoll et al, 2021;Sersli et al, 2022). People with other identities also develop specific strategies with which to manoeuvre through the city.…”