The Bicycle in the Daily Mobility: Women’s experience in Mexico City

Abstract

Since 2010, the Mexico City government has boosted the use of bicycles as a mode of transport by implementing cycling infrastructure such as public bikes, parking, and bike lanes with the purpose of reducing car use and improving air quality. Although cycling has become more visible in the public space of the city, the diversity of circumstances about the mobility of people is not well known which make more difficult the efforts to change the car use for bike use. Moreover, due to the mobility pattern between men and women are different, gender perspective is important to those changes. This paper explores and describes the mobility experience of female bike users in Mexico City based on a qualitative research (participant observation and semi structures interviews) trying to explain the quantitative gender difference in bike use. The study concludes that, along with the government efforts to build up bike infrastructure, the option for biking is strongly influenced by personal skills, knowledge as well as organization of daily activities, technologies, time and socio-cultural factors which can be a barrier for accessibility. Based on these outcomes, the paper argues that the women experience of mobility should be considered in the process of transport and urban planning.