Cycling in London has been getting safer, easier and more convenient in recent years, and numbers of cyclists are gradually creeping up. Yay! But there’s still quite a way to go – especially if more of us are going to be convinced to ditch the warmth and comfort of our (expensive, energy-consuming, noxious gas-emitting, and frequently stationary) cars. Boo!

One of the best ways to get more folk out on bikes is to make sure the infrastructure allows their journeys to be safe and simple. So far, the Transport for London cycle network has a total of 353km of Cycleways: “high-quality cycle routes that link communities, businesses and destinations across London”. Which sounds impressive, right? They have a web page and everything.

But… things aren’t so good if you’re a female cyclist.

London Cycling Campaign’s Women’s Network has done an in-depth analysis of the Cycleways, and found that pretty much a quarter of the Cycleway network is ‘socially unsafe’ after dark – ie presents a real risk of harm to the cyclists using them at night, particularly women.

The Women’s Network have put together a fantastic report, Women’s Freedom after Dark which explores the problem in detail. (The report is part of the wider We Want Freedom To Ride campaign.)

The dangerous areas tend to be the stretches of the Cycleways “which go through unlit parks, industrial estates, or alongside canals with no escape routes”. Seven of the Cycleways are completely unsafe after dark. And one in three women “simply stop cycling at all when the days get shorter”. The report details five actions needed to fix this problem – to make the Cycleways fit for purpose, and safe for everyone, all day and night, all year round. Read it here.

I designed the report, and also a bicycle-mounted lightbox with the logo on, which the group used on a protest ride last week – timed to coincide with the launch of the report. I nipped along to take some pictures and show some support.

If you’d like to get involved with the Women’s Network, you can sign up for news here, or if you’d like to become a member of London Cycling Campaign, just head over here.