PETAL Project: Unlocking young women’s access to bike-riding
PETAL Project:
Unlocking young women’s access to bike-riding
2024
Globally, populations are facing health challenges from physical inactivity and resulting chronic diseases, compounded by rapid urbanisation and climate change. There is increasing recognition of the importance of active transport, and particularly bike riding, as an opportunity to generate substantial population and planetary health gains. Participation is, however, low and inequitable in Victoria, where more men ride a bike than women. Efforts to increase the participation of women have been fragmented, consider women as a homogenous population, and interventions have been implemented in the absence of evidence of diverse and intersectional needs. There is significant need for targeted interventions that consider the unique needs of specific groups of women to increase their access to and participation in bike riding.
PETAL is a participatory research project developed by Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, and conducted in collaboration with XYX Lab, Monash Art, Design and Architecture, the Health and Social Care Unit in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Merri-bek City Council, City of Stonnington and City of Port Phillip. It captures the diverse factors that contribute to young women’s travel behaviour, their attitudes toward bike riding, and potential solutions to increase their participation in bike riding.
This report provides a comprehensive overview of young women’s travel behaviour, and includes strategies to increase their access to and participation in bike riding. It provides a detailed account of young women’s experiences and challenges in considering bike riding as a mode of transport in the City of Port Philip, City of Stonnington and Merri-bek City Council. It provides recommendations and guidance for interventions aimed at young women to promote bike riding, and details of four comprehensive co-designed interventions which will be relevant to young women living in inner suburban areas nationally.