Features / cycling
‘Women have just as much right as men to feel safe on the road’
The founder of a cycling club for women and gender minorities said the city’s cycling gender gap is widening due to intimidating drivers, subpar infrastructure and fears over personal safety.
Rosie Wilson argues that the reality for female cyclists in Bristol is “just not good enough”, highlighting “systemic” failures that force them to navigate busy roads to escape isolated, unlit paths while enduring sexist remarks from drivers.
“There have been times when I’ve been really nervous to go out on my bike, and I’m a very confident cyclist,” said Rosie. “I know there’s a lack of funding, but we can do a lot better.”
is needed now More than ever
Research from Cycling UK in 2025 found the barriers to cycling have widened between men and women “across every measure in the past seven years”.
As part of national efforts to promote change, a “glow ride” will light up the city centre’s streets with a mission to improve attitudes towards cyclists, especially women, and advocate for better infrastructure in Bristol and beyond.
Rosie Wilson is the founder of Lunar Cycles, a cycling club aimed at women and gender minorities – photo: Lunar Cycles
Rosie, who was once followed in an underpass by a man, said there are “many issues” with Bristol’s cycling infrastructure that disproportionately affect women, older people and racially minoritised groups.
“After dark, many female cyclists like myself avoid the Bristol & Bath Railway Path as well as the underpasses, which are often flooded in winter anyway, as they do not feel safe.
“But that means we are pushed out onto busy roads and roundabouts, which is arguably more dangerous.”
As well as physical barriers to cycling, Rosie said “hostile” attitudes from drivers are also a problem, typified in overly close overtaking and vehicles cutting across their path. The 36-year-old said she was hit by a driver who showed “no remorse” in the summer of 2024 in St George.
“He thought he had the right not to wait two more seconds for me to pass the junction. I think drivers sometimes feel like they have priority over cyclists. I rarely now cycle all the way down Church Road and use the cycle path instead, but it takes much longer…
“I do also question if the driver would have done it if I were a man. I think there’s often a perception that male drivers think female cyclists don’t know what we’re doing.”
Bristol’s infamous flooded underpasses have caused issues for pedestrians and cyclists for decades – photo: Ellie Pipe
Cycling UK’s survey found experiences of intimidating behaviour and threatening incidents from motorists decreased by five percentage points for men but have remained consistent for women in recent years.
More than half of women (58 per cent) reported that their cycle journeys were limited by safety concerns and a lack of suitable infrastructure, while 36 per cent of women also pointed to roads not feeling safe enough to cycle and a lack of dedicated cycle routes (23 per cent) as significant barriers to cycling.
Lunar Cycles is a cycling club for women, non-binary and transgender people that provides a supportive and inclusive space for cycling – photo: Lunar Cycles
In 2023, Rosie founded Lunar Cycles, a club for women and gender minorities, aiming to “fill a gap” in the mainstream cycling scene, which is often dominated by men.
Speaking about the club’s group rides around Bristol, Rosie said: “There is always something, from someone either telling us that we shouldn’t cycle double to drivers making sexualised comments. It all just shows us that we don’t have the same right to be on the road as men.”
Does Rosie think anything has improved much in Bristol recently?
“There are new schemes in Bristol that are a step in the right direction, but they have caused a lot of backlash and I’ve noticed an increase in aggression from car drivers over the last year. It just feels like everyone’s angry.”
Riders from Lunar Cycles took part in a “clitoral mass” ride along the Bristol & Bath Railway Path to protest for safer cycling conditions – photo: Lunar Cycles
The glow ride, which takes place in our city on Friday evening, is part of a wider campaign by Cycling UK calling for safer routes and fewer barriers to cycling, especially for women – “streets where everyone feels safe”.
Sarah Mitchell, chief executive of Cycling UK, said: “These glow rides show that women across the country are fed up with the lack of safe cycle routes in their areas.”
“Communities have long called for transport choices that not only make the commute to work cheaper, but also connect with schools, local high streets and green spaces.”
Rosie added: “We want the glow ride to highlight stories behind the statistics.”
“Women have just as much right as men to feel safe on the road and to be able to get home, get around Bristol or just enjoy cycling.”
For more information about the glow ride, visit @_lunarcycles_or www.cyclinguk.org/event/glow-ride-bristol
Main photo: Lunar Cycles
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