Gender differences in perceptions and patterns of bicycle use in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Abstract

Urban cycling offers several positive attributes to mobility and public health in cities. Evidence shows that to promote a greater number of bicycle trips it is necessary to incorporate interconnected and quality bicycle infrastructure, however, this does not mean that the diversity of users will also increase. In this descriptive and transversal work, bicycle trips were counted in situ in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, during two days and in 15 intersections of the state, in the same way a survey was carried out to know the attitudes, motivations, barriers and travel patterns of people who use the bicycle. The results of the scrutiny of bicycle trips reveal the wide gender gap, since only 4.6% of the trips were made by women; for the transversal study, 379 cyclists were surveyed and significant differences were found in relation to gender in terms of attitudes, perception of barriers and reasons for using the bicycle. Although road violence is the main concern, for women the perception of insecurity and street harassment represent important barriers to cycling. The study also incorporates territorial patterns through an origin-destination survey.