Women Bike PHL - Safe Routes Philly

Women Bike PHL
October 2013
Katie Monroe
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origin & goals
the bicycling
gender gap
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educate &
encourage
According to the Bicycle
Coalition’s annual bike
counts, only one third of
Philadelphia bicyclists
are women.
The BCGP created
Women Bike PHL in
2013 to address some of
these barriers to biking
among women.
Possible explanations:
 Higher risk-aversion
among women
 Inadequate
bikes/gear designed
for women
 Unwelcoming bike
shops and clubs
 Street harassment
 Sweating, helmet hair,
wardrobe concerns
 Parenting and errandrunning logistics
 Sexist imagery in
bicycle advertising
Through rides, classes,
and talks, we directly
educate and
encourage women in
Philadelphia who are
interested in biking, but
concerned for any
number of reasons.
In order to best
leverage our limited
resources, we often
work with existing
women/girl groups to
spread our message.
celebrate &
connect
Despite the gender
gap, many
Philadelphia women
do ride bicycles, for
many reasons. These
women are the
greatest resource and
inspiration for women
considering biking.
Women Bike PHL
works to highlight
and celebrate their
stories. Online and in
person, we create
spaces for people to
connect, building
much-needed
community among
Philadelphia’s female
bicyclists.
by the numbers
$
5,605
346
raised in
grants and
donations
members of
our Facebook
group
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31
Phila
Inquirer
story on
our work
rides,
classes,
& talks
in 2013
53
attendees at
Dinner and
Bikes with
Elly Blue
20+
community
partners
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rides, rides, rides!
A sampling of the rides Women Bike PHL led in 2013. (Note: some of
these rides were women-only, and some were co-ed.)
Cyclofemme Mother’s Day Ride
with Sturdy Girls Cycling Club.
Monthly Take Your Time rides
with Fairmount Bicycles, a
woman-owned bike shop.
Pedal and Flow ride followed by
a pay-what-you-wish yoga class
in Washington Square.
Cobbs to Bartram’s Ride exploring
West Philly’s green spaces.
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classes:
building skills, building community
The Bicycle Coalition of
Greater Philadelphia offers
Urban Riding Basics (URB)
and Adult Learn-to-Ride
Ladyfest Philadelphia is an
(LTR) classes on a regular
annual activism, music and art
basis. Women Bike PHL was
festival that happens every
able to offer three women-only
June. Women Bike PHL offered
URB classes and one women-
Legendary mountain bicyclist
a Fix-A-Flat class as part of the
only LTR class in 2013.
Jacquie Phelan visited
festival. Thanks to
Philadelphia in March 2013.
Neighborhood Bike Works for
With sponsorship from Breezer letting us use their space!
Bikes, Women Bike PHL
offered a free skills clinic for
women in Fairmount Park with
over 30 women in attendance.
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girl scouts on wheels
Women Bike PHL partnered with the Girl Scouts of Eastern PA
to create a “Girl Scouts on Wheels” patch, aimed at Juniorlevel Girl Scouts.
The patch requirements cover basic mechanics, safety skills
for riding, route planning, and exploring the diverse world(s)
of bicycling.
This project received funding from the League of American
Bicyclists. By the end of 2013, at least 30 area Girl Scouts will
have earned the “Girl Scouts on Wheels” patch. With Troop
Leaders expressing ongoing interest, that number promises
to grow.
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family biking
The Bicycle Coalition’s Diana Owens Steif welcomed her first
child in August 2013. During her pregnancy, she worked to
organize and connect local biking parents.
Diana established partnerships with Kidical Mass Philadelphia,
several local bike shops that carry the bikes, seats, and other
gear necessary to tote tots, and many local biking families.
Her efforts culminated in an “ABCs of Family Biking” event on
the Schuylkill River Trail in July. Dozens of parents and three
local bike shops came together to share tips, test-ride bikes,
and strengthen community among biking parents.
Women Bike PHL will lead a Family Biking workshop in
November’s annual Philly Bike Expo.
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talks
With a passion for
bicycles and an
academic background
in gender studies,
founder Katie Monroe
is always excited to
give presentations
about Women Bike
PHL that go “beyond
the elevator pitch.”
 Temple University’s
Women’s Studies /
Sustainability
Departments
 Circle of Hope
Church
 Agnes Irwin Girls
School Wellness
Day
 Philly Bike Expo
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interviews
“I take routes through
neighborhoods on my bike
that I wouldn’t be comfortable
walking through. I literally do
see more of the city because I
bike.” - Katie Van Vliet
Women Bike PHL intern Claudia Setubal produced a series of 12
interviews with local women who ride a bicycle. We posted these on
the Bicycle Coalition blog in order to bring more attention to the
diversity and experiences of Philadelphia’s women bicyclists.
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thank
you!
Women Bike PHL’s
first year would not
have been possible
without generous
support and
collaboration from
many individuals,
organizations, and
businesses. Our
deepest thanks to all
who donated their
time, funds, and
energy to help more
women discover the
joys of riding a bike!
Adina Abramowitz  Advanced Sports International, Inc.  Allison
Marcinczyk  Allison Rosenberg  Amanda Benner  Ashanti Martin 
Association for Public Art / Caitlin Martin  Beth Resta  Bike Temple
 Blake Larson  Bob Braverman  Bradley Flamm,  Brandi Ebright 
Brian Duffy  Brooke Allen  Caitlin Quigley  Carl Dellmuth  Center
for the Advancement of Girls / Mariandl Hufford  Charlotte Flynn 
Christina Peters  Christine Meola  Circle of Hope - Broad and
Washington  Claudia Balterson  Claudia Setubal  Coleen Williams
 Cynthia Leslie  D. Brawer  Dana Ballard,  David Odell  Debbie
Thornbury  Dena Driscoll  Eileen Taylor  Elena Capella 
Elizabeth Drum  Elly Blue Publishing / Elly Blue  Erik Pavlak 
Ernest Foss III  Evelyn Kritchevsky  Fairmount Bicycles / Shelly
Salamon  Fionnuala Quinn  Firth and Wilson Transport Cycles 
Gail Steiner  Gearing Up / Kristin Gavin & Kaelin Proud  George
Fugok  Girl Scouts at Penn  Girl Scouts of Eastern PA  Greg
Bennett  Gregory Line  Harlan Price  Heidi Grunwald  Heidi
Siegel  Helena  Herold Klein  Jacquie Phelan  James Allison 
Janique Thompson  Jeannette Brugger  Jeb Bell  Jeffrey Knowles, 
Jennifer Walter  John Bryan  John Fridy  John Miller  Jon Monroe
& Andrea Pesce  Joseph Brazino  Julia Hillengas  Julie Curson 
Karen Pflug-Felder  Karyn Polak  Kate Mundie,  Katherine Pence 
Kathleen Grady  Kathleen
McElroy  Kathleen O'Shea 
Kathy Balsley  Kathy Hurchla
 Katie VanVliet  Kay Sykora
 Ken Knobloch  Kidical Mass
Philly  Kirin McElwain 
Ladyfest Philadelphia  Laura
Kelly  Laurie O'Leary 
Leslye Abrutyn  Lisa M. Rau,
Lisa Wielunski  Loraine
Deisinger  Lori Mueller 
Lucy Carroll  Mahogany
Philly  Manuel Covarrubias 
Margaret Wise  Marni Duffy 
Mindy Noble  Mullica Hill
Women’s Triathlon Club  Myra Clemens  Nancy Leon  Nancy
Smith  Neighborhood Bike Works / Liz Pisarczyk & Erin DeCou 
Nick Purifico  Patricia Bailey  Patty Woodworth  Philly Bike Expo /
Bina Bilenky  Rob Sutherland  Robert Glickman  Robert Harries 
Robert Sieczkiewicz  Rochelle Keyhan  Ronald Sokol  Roslynn
Posey,  Sabine Cranmer  Sherry Weller  Sturdy Girls Cycling
Club / Candace Hess  Susan Mudambi  Sylvia Beck  Tanya
Seaman  Temple University Office of Sustainability  Teresa Labov 
Teri Gerbec  The League of American Bicyclists / Carolyn
Szczepanski  Thomas Landsmann  Travis Skidmore  Trophy
Bicycles  Ursula Hobson  Vance Bachman  WE Bike NYC / Liz Jose,
Laura Solis & Ayesha McGowan  William Elfring  Women &
Bicycles / Nelle Pierson  WTS International
Special thanks to my incredible colleagues at the Bicycle Coalition of
Greater Philadelphia for their unending encouragement and
support. Women Bike PHL could never have happened without you!
-- Katie Monroe
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looking ahead
In 2014, Women Bike PHL will build on its success. In addition to
continuing our existing offerings, we hope to…
Build a stronger community
with an improved website and
monthly social meetup
opportunities – happy hours
and/or coffee clubs.
Forge new collaborations –
for example, with Philadelphia
anti-street-harassment
organization “Hollaback
Philly.”
Spread the word with
high-quality merchandise,
including t-shirts and
stickers.
…but we can’t do it without your support! If you are interested in
learning more about how you can support Women Bike PHL, please
contact Katie Monroe: [email protected].
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Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
1500 Walnut St, Suite 1107
Philadelphia, PA, 19102
www.womenbikephl.org
Katie Monroe, Founder
[email protected]
215-242-9253 (x 310)