Members of a cycling charity have warned that more investment and infrastructure is needed in outer London to help convince harder-to-reach communities to take up cycling.
Participants and volunteers at Cycle Sisters, a charity which seeks to encourage Muslim women to try out cycling, said the capital’s network of bike paths needed to be expanded further.
Syeda Akther, a cycle leader with the group, said: “I know that there’s a lot that has been done, but I think we’ve got a long way to go.
“I think the fact that sometimes we’re cut off, from one borough to another [is a problem]. So you have great cycle routes, like Cycleway 2, which comes right to Stratford but then fizzles out and doesn’t link up with Redbridge.
“I think these kinds of things put a lot of people off, because you hear about all these incidents. My husband, when he hears I’m going to far places, tells me to be careful.
“So it’s really important to invest and put that resource into infrastructure and a support network into the community, with instructors but also organisations, such as us, there to support them.”
She added that there were extra barriers for communities like Muslim women, who may worry whether cycling is for them.
“The barrier sometimes is confidence, and finding groups that can be supportive to you, seeing people like you who do it,” she said, adding that there were also practical tips to be learnt about how to wear religious dress while cycling.
Zameera Khan, also part of the charity’s Redbridge group, agreed about the need for more cycle lanes, saying: “The crux of the thing for us is the cycling infrastructure.
“It’s sad because I want to take the Sisters out – women of different professional backgrounds, cultural backgrounds – and experience London basically, and it’s the infrastructure that hinders us.
“The cycle lanes are not easily accessible from here, into central London. Some want to commute, but they don’t know how to.
“Some of them really love their cycling, and enjoy being taken out into different places like Epping, not necessarily into central London, but the infrastructure’s not there.
“There’s some boroughs that have amazing infrastructure, like Walthamstow… So I think it’s becoming more of a hindrance to us in Redbridge that we’re trying to find these different routes for the women to go out and be confident – it’s about feeling safe and confident on the roads.”
And Samra Said, another member, said storage was an issue too.
“A lot of our members say ‘I could buy a bike but I don’t know where to store it. If I put it into the alleyway, the landlord has issues’,” she said.
“Having a community neighbourhood shed, where it’s locked, it’s safe to do so and they don’t worry about theft [is helpful].”
Members of the London Assembly’s health committee met with Cycle Sisters members for a Tuesday morning bike ride round Valentines Park in Ilford to learn more about their work. The committee is investigating how healthy living can be boosted in London.
Emma Best, the committee’s deputy chair, said: “Back in 2018, Transport for London (TfL) did a survey that found that almost half of Londoners thought cycling wasn’t ‘for people like them’.
“Groups like Cycle Sisters are amazing at breaking down those barriers and opening up cycling to everyone.”
Ms Best, a Conservative, added: “People don’t have to cycle, but it’s like walking, or driving, or using the bus or train – it’s a really flexible mode of transport, and everyone should at least feel confident that they can do it in some way.
“It’s important to show people that you don’t have to have all the lycra, and you don’t have to commute every day into London and go on the busy streets – but there are certain journeys that it would be beneficial for you to do [by bike].”
Penny Rees, TfL's Head of Healthy Streets Investment, said: “Almost all boroughs receive funding from TfL for new infrastructure and cycle training, with £69m allocated in annual funding.
“Our Walking and Cycling Grants London programme has also awarded a record amount this year to 87 community groups across 31 boroughs for schemes to remove barriers to walking and cycling.
“We know how important this work is to people in both inner and outer London and we’ll continue working with boroughs to deliver a healthier, cleaner and more sustainable transport network for everyone.”
