Connectivity is also ranked as highly important to the respondents. When asked to rank which factors of Transportation Facilities are most important, ‘Safer Places to Cycle’ and ‘Better Connectivity’ are ranked the highest for almost all groups. Notably, the factor ‘Elimination of Dangerous/Unpleasant Bottleneck on Otherwise Suitable Route’ was also chosen as a key factor, suggesting that significant gaps in the bicycling network, whether they are unsafe or simply unpleasant, present a substantial barrier to more women cycling.
We know from research that women’s travel patterns are likely to be more complex than men’s (Bonham and Wilson 2012), and these survey responses further confirm that women have a multilayered perspective when faced with bicycling environments which are likely to be unsafe or incomplete networks. Moreover, factors which influence the decision to travel by bicycle evolves as women’s ‘Comfort Level’ changes.