Quote Originally Posted by shootingstar View Post
Well one thing I still haven't gotten into which is having the opposite effect of drawing in more women: is the cycling chic trend of cycling with dress/heeled shoes, dresses and skirts, suits. I think this latter flexibility now in some big North American cities is drawing more women to cycling as simply part of ordinary life. Because it is.
...

As for the fear of being alone: As long as I can cycle at a certain speed (and it doesn't have to be fast) without stopping too much at the wrong time (that's unsafe for me), then I'm fine. And that's feeling safe 95% of the time, in terms of my safety as a female cyclist. I have commuted daily through quieter or isolated ravine park system to get to work, but most of that route were wide, paved paths...

I have lived in "rougher" or perceived as "rougher" areas of big cities. Which translates as: lower income, non-white neighbourhoods. Yes, there were shoot-outs that made the press, which I found out later. But it only takes a few bad folks to make it bad for everyone else...

So for certain, I consider cycling in the city, actually waaaaay safer for me as a woman than walking or jogging. For certain at night, I don't choose to cycle in unlit areas with narrow paths, etc. nor busy aerterial roads with tons of cars and no shoulder if I can.
I don't think the "cycle chic" thing will have much of an impact. From what I've seen of the bloggers, many of them seem to feel compelled to ridicule people who ride for sport, and are unlikely to join the rest of us for a road ride. Yes, it's great that they ride to work, but let's face it, riding in regular clothes only works for shorter distances over flat roads. I can do it where I work now (4k ride to work, no hills), there is no way I could have done it when I lived in Calgary, 9k from work with several short but very steep hills in the way. I was sweating no matter how slowly I rode.
I agree that riding feels safer than walking or jogging at night. And the "rough neighborhood" thing. I grew up in such a neighborhood, so perhaps that's why it doesn't bother me to occasionally ride through one on the way to the only 50 meter pool in town. The majority of people living in low income neighborhoods just want to live their lives and have no interest in someone riding through on a bike.