Moving vehicles and open doors aren't the only threats to the safety of cyclists. Gay men, women and transgender bikers often contend with harassment and threats of assault. Nonprofit groups in D.C. and elsewhere are working to empower them.
"For Kate, a 28-year-old cycling enthusiast, summer is always the worst," write Lauren McEwen and Michael Livingston II. "Pedestrians feel free to yell what they perceive as compliments: 'Yeah, you look good!' or 'Can I ride with you?'”
“'As a woman, I’m constantly operating with the low-level fear that any man might attack me,' said Kate, a resident of the Brookland neighborhood in Northeast Washington, who asked that her last name not be used because of safety concerns."
McEwen and Livingston look at the tools that groups such as Stop Street Harassment and the Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) are providing to targeted individuals such as Kate to help them report and respond to street harassment.
FULL STORY: How should bicyclists handle harassment? D.C. area groups teach empowerment tactics.
Women Bikers Ride to 'Take Back the Streets'
Even Andrews reports on the unsafe environment that women encounter while on their bikes—and the organizations and people who are working to make the roads safer from harassment.
Unsafe Streets: Report Finds Pervasive Harassment on U.S. Streets
A new report, the first of its kind, documents the pervasive harassment experienced by women, and many men, of all races, income levels, sexual orientations, and geographic locations. The report identifies the situation as an issue of human rights.
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Some cities are going so far as to rip out protected bike infrastructure that took years of advocacy to build.
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DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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