Taking a stand for safety and freedom

Women's Freedom Ride accompanied by petition demanding safer cycling for women

London’s women cyclists took a stance on safer roads for female riders at the weekend, presenting a petition to the city’s walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman before embarking on the second annual Women’s Freedom Ride.

More than 1,000 women took part in the ride, which took in landmarks including Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and The Mall.

The petition, signed by more than 5,000 people, sets out demands for greater physical and social safety, plus improved local routes for women riders.

Abuse from motorists, often gendered, is something that female riders have come to see as par for the course, says London Dynamo women’s captain Ellie Cousins.