City Research Online

Abstract

Analysing over 10 million journeys made by members of London’s Cycle Hire Scheme, we find that female customers’ usage characteristics are demonstrably different from those of male customers. Usage at weekends and within London’s parks characterises women’s journeys, whereas for men, a commuting function is more clearly identified. Some of this variation is explained by geodemographic differences and by an atypical period of usage during the first 3 months after the scheme’s launch. Controlling for each of these variables brings some convergence between men and women. However, many differences are preserved. Studying the spatio-temporal context under which journeys are made, we find that women’s journeys are highly spatially structured. Even when making utilitarian cycle trips, routes that involve large, multi-lane roads are comparatively rare, and instead female cyclists preferentially select areas of the city associated with slower traffic streets and with cycle routes slightly offset from major roads.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Transportation Planning and Technology on 11/10/2013, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03081060.2013.844903.
Publisher Keywords:	gender and cycling behaviour; bicycle share schemes; visual analytics; behavioural datasets
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z665 Library Science. Information Science
Departments:	School of Science & Technology > Computer Science > giCentre School of Science & Technology > Computer Science
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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