Female Riders
Thread started by
Yoshawn at 04.28.10 - 3:50 pm
I haven't seen any female riders in the Southern Los Angeles, wats up with that? If there are any lady ridazz in the area just reply to this post, or at least a group of chilled people.
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There are a lot of women on certain rides.
I would say that men do outnumber them on most rides.
It might not be the case in all cities.
Beware the POON thread.
Joe Borfo04.28.10 - 4:02 pm
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Whats with people and these posts? Seriously do think that this will honestly attract more women? I see tons of women on rides
OsnapsonJC04.28.10 - 4:04 pm
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Wow .. forum posting and texting .. bad combo ..
OsnapsonJC04.28.10 - 4:05 pm
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yeah, you definitely need to get out more. THAT'S SOME CRAZY TALK.
alien invasion04.28.10 - 4:09 pm
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there was some girls on the rookie ride last nigh
Huey55504.28.10 - 4:17 pm
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It's not just in South LA - the LACBC's recent cyclist survey showed that over 80% of cyclists observed using the streets are male.
Women don't ride until the streets are safer - safe from crime, safe from the danger of being killed by cars, and socially safe from stigmas about what a woman can and can't do.
We've got a long way to go until we can expect to see surveys like the LACBC's come up with more equitable numbers for cyclists on the streets.
ubrayj0204.28.10 - 4:22 pm
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http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=getting-more-bicyclists-on-the-road&print=true
Scientific American Magazine - October 16, 2009
How to Get More Bicyclists on the Road
To boost urban bicycling, figure out what women want
By Linda Baker
Getting people out of cars and onto bicycles, a much more sustainable form of transportation, has long vexed environmentally conscious city planners. Although bike lanes painted on streets and automobile-free “greenways” have increased ridership over the past few years, the share of people relying on bikes for transportation is still less than 2 percent, based on various studies. An emerging body of research suggests that a superior strategy to increase pedal pushing could be had by asking the perennial question: What do women want?
In the U.S., men’s cycling trips surpass women’s by at least 2:1. This ratio stands in marked contrast to cycling in European countries, where urban biking is a way of life and draws about as many women as men—sometimes more. In the Netherlands, where 27 percent of all trips are made by bike, 55 percent of all riders are women. In Germany 12 percent of all trips are on bikes, 49 percent of which are made by women.
“If you want to know if an urban environment supports cycling, you can forget about all the detailed â€bikeability indexes’—just measure the proportion of cyclists who are female,” says Jan Garrard, a senior lecturer at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, and author of several studies on biking and gender differences.
Women are considered an “indicator species” for bike-friendly cities for several reasons. First, studies across disciplines as disparate as criminology and child Ârearing have shown that women are more averse to risk than men. In the cycling arena, that risk aversion translates into increased demand for safe bike infrastructure as a prerequisite for riding. Women also do most of the child care and household shopping, which means these bike routes need to be organized around practical urban destinations to make a difference.
“Despite our hope that gender roles don’t exist, they still do,” says Jennifer Dill, a transportation and planning researcher at Portland State University. Addressing women’s concerns about safety and utility “will go a long way” toward increasing the number of people on two wheels, Dill explains.
So far few cities have taken on the challenge. In the U.S., most cycling facilities consist of on-street bike lanes, which require riding in vehicle-clogged traffic, notes John Pucher, a professor of urban planning at Rutgers University and longtime bike scholar. And when cities do install traffic-protected off-street bike paths, they are almost always along rivers and parks rather than along routes leading “to the supermarket, the school, the day care center,” Pucher says.
Although researchers have long examined the bike infrastructure in Europe, they have only just started to do so for the U.S. In a study conducted last year, Dill examined the effect of different types of bike facilities on cycling. The project, which used GPS positioning to record individual cycling trips in Portland, compared the shortest route with the path cyclists actually took to their destination. Women were less likely than men to try on-street bike lanes and more likely to go out of their way to use “bike boulevards,” quiet residential streets with special traffic-calming features for bicycles. “Women diverted from the shortest routes more often,” Dill says.
Other data support those findings. In New York City, men are three times as likely to be cyclists as women. Yet a bicycle count found that an off-street bike path in Central Park had 44 percent female riders. “Within the same city you find huge deviations in terms of gender,” Pucher remarks.
Good infrastructure alone won’t improve women’s cycling rates, researchers caution. In an automobile-dominated culture, “attitudinal variables” also play a role, says Susan Handy, a professor of environmental science at the University of California, Davis. In a survey to be published in Transportation Research Record, Handy found that “comfort” and “needing a car” were important factors influencing women’s cycling rates—but not men’s. Needing a car is likely tied to the household errands women often perform, Handy says, and could be addressed in part by outreach programs showing that women can “jump on a bike the way they jump in a car.”
A few municipalities are beginning to implement a “second wave” of strategies aimed at broadening the cycling demographic. In Portland, a city already renowned for its urban cycling, a Women on Bikes program targets such concerns as fixing a flat tire. The city is also building its first cycle track—a European-style bike lane that is separated from cars and pedestrians. Across the country state and federally funded Safe Routes to Schools programs are creating practical bike routes for kids so they don’t have to be driven by their parents.
Ahead of the curve may be New York City, where about five miles of traffic-protected bike lanes have recently been installed. Credit goes to the new Department of Transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, who is upending the department’s long-standing focus on trucks and automobiles. Remarks Pucher: “A woman cyclist became head of the DOT, and wonderful things started happening.”
Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Shifting Gears."
JB04.28.10 - 4:25 pm
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One more point, I get a pretty good mix of women and men on the rides I host because they are all geared towards slow-paced, social, activities that extend beyond hauling ass and getting fucked up/stoned.
There are women that are attracted to aggressive riding and there are women interested in substance abuse, but generally they're not interested in either in the context of anonymous bike rides at night. I guess Yoshawn you've got your work cut out for you.
ubrayj0204.28.10 - 4:26 pm
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I meet a lady last night on the rookie ride that said that she didn't want to ride Hollywood Blvd for the getting hit by cars reason...
OsnapsonJC responding to a
comment by ubrayj02
04.28.10 - 4:27 pm
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what is my deal today I cannot type shit ..
OsnapsonJC04.28.10 - 4:27 pm
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looks like you need sum poon. (go to spoke n art)
Joe Borfo responding to a
comment by OsnapsonJC
04.28.10 - 4:34 pm
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I need a stiff drink .. that's what I need ...
OsnapsonJC responding to a
comment by Joe Borfo
04.28.10 - 4:38 pm
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PHEW... I'm glad you said "drink"!
Joe Borfo responding to a
comment by OsnapsonJC
04.28.10 - 4:40 pm
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When does this ride start? (thanks, tarsis)
Joe Borfo04.28.10 - 4:48 pm
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i love this pic , hope its like this at slow and social sunday!
seriously, if u dont "see" girls on rides youre not doing it right.
there are plenty of girls all awesome sexy and on their bikes.
Jeff Yess responding to a
comment by Joe Borfo
04.28.10 - 4:56 pm
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OK, we've got the "ignore them unless they're sexually available" angle, the "regard them as objects" angle, and the "patronize them because they're delicate flowers from whom little should be expected" angle so far. Can we come up with any other ways to insult half the population while this thread is still on the front page?
PC04.28.10 - 5:04 pm
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no ones trying to attact women in this, those were not my intentions at all. I was simply stating a little known fact about my area and the riders in it. I know there's alot of women who do ride but when it comes down to a ride it's mostly dudes and they always fight and crap. The women need to join just to keep the peace. But most of you are right, I probably do gotta get out more.
Yoshawn04.28.10 - 5:56 pm
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it's mostly dudes and they always fight and crap
THANK YOU. STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH THAT MALES ARE JUST AS MUCH DRAMA AS FEMALES.
Ever heard a girl (and yes only little girls say this because real women know better) say "I don't like females, I only hang out with guys because girls are too much drama"? That's got to be one of my biggest pet peeves when girls say that because I
know they are lying because if they did actually hang out with guys, they'd know it's just the same in both sexes.
The most dramatic people I have known have always been male.
Sorry I was just having this discussion so I'm already worked up about it.
/end rant.
shotgunBOOMBOOM responding to a
comment by Yoshawn
04.28.10 - 6:26 pm
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PC I was citing statistics compiled by a cyclist count during daylight hours. Over 80% of cyclists using the streets of L.A. are male. Female cyclists are indicators of the quality of culture and the infrastructure for cycling. I wasn't trying to patronize anybody, only offer an explanation as to why women aren't on rides, and are less likely to ride that males are. I'm not saying it should be this way, but this is the state of affairs in L.A.
ubrayj02 responding to a
comment by PC
04.28.10 - 7:38 pm
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ok i aimed that in the wrong direction. guys get hassled by other dudes on the street, one guy says something dumb and more than likely the dude who said whatever gets fucked up and the cops come and blah blah blah, i do understand that alot of women are drama but lets face it, when a ride isnt a sausage fest it seems pretty more chilled.
Yoshawn04.28.10 - 7:49 pm
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Frankly, as a female cyclist, I'm not sure I need any explanations for anything as it's pretty clear to me when I show up to each ride I go on. Women ARE on rides and THAT is the state of affairs for the LA that I ride in.
sinaphile responding to a
comment by ubrayj02
04.28.10 - 7:52 pm
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i think we all crept away from the point of this thread. i just wanted to know who was around the souther LA area, not DTLA, West LA or East LA just South Central.
Yoshawn04.28.10 - 7:54 pm
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I'm a female rider in hollywood im a beginer though just went on my first ride last night but i ride my bike 14 miles a day for the past month...
Frankie Jo04.28.10 - 7:56 pm
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If that was your point, perhaps you should have been more specific like you just were. Otherwise people will think that you mean the larger LA area.
sinaphile responding to a
comment by Yoshawn
04.28.10 - 8:00 pm
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i put souther Los Angeles, im guessing people assume that downtown, hollywood, baldwin hill, beverly hills and etc are apart of that.
Yoshawn04.28.10 - 8:05 pm
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i really didnt think i had to South Central rather than Southern Los Angeles in order to get people to know what area i was talking about.
Yoshawn04.28.10 - 8:06 pm
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i guess you missed the whole Eastside / Westside debate a while back, huh?
state your zip code,area code, cross streets, house #, when posting on something as vague a south central.
AIDS66 responding to a
comment by Yoshawn
04.28.10 - 8:12 pm
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fine then ill put it this way. IS THERE ANYONE IN HP, SOUTHGATE, WATSS, COMPTON OR FIGUEROA AND FLORENCE AREAS?
Yoshawn04.28.10 - 8:16 pm
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Hey there Hows it going
I just started doing these rides and im addicted
cycling with groups is like my crack lol
but hey there needs to be more valley rides or somthing
also chill pace rides are balla...
Im a student at smc so I do all kinds of rides
and I live in the SFV so ya ...
I've down fmly ride,glow ride,sfv ride,critcal mass,taco tuesday ,monday night rehab ...
so let me know whats cracking
Alisha_101888@yahoo.com
Alisha8804.28.10 - 10:00 pm
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Frankly, as a female cyclist, I'm not sure I need any explanations for anything as it's pretty clear to me when I show up to each ride I go on. Women ARE on rides and THAT is the state of affairs for the LA that I ride in.
sinaphile
04.28.10 - 10:52 pm
sigh.
When a bunch of volunteers stood on corners during the morning and evening rush hour and counted people riding bikes, 84% of the people on bikes were male. That is a fact. Do I think that is right? Fuck no. Does that mean that you don't ride your bike? Fuck no, you do ride and you probably enjoy it, a lot (I do too). What that means is that, as a proportion of the total number of cyclists on the street during any given day, women make up a small minority of that group. Again facts. Should it be that way? No. Is it that way now? Yes.
Now, in other countries, say Holland, where the male female split using bikes is 50/50 or sometimes tilting in favor of females, several things are going on:
(1) bike infratructure is in places that are safe from criminal attacks and assault (not like L.A. where our bike paths, like the LA River Trail are designed like rape factories)
(2) bike infrastructure is designed to make cyclists of all skill levels safe from car traffic and psychologically comfortable
(3) cultural norms allow women the freedom to ride, or not ride, without a stigma of being a bull dike, a hard core athlete, a hipster, etc.
These things also hold true for males, but clearly males will still ride (in greatly decreased numbers) when all of these things are not happening.
Here in L.A, there are a lot of dis-incentives for women (and for all people) to ride bikes. In other countries, they've figured out how to get everyone riding and that means both men and women.
I'm not talking about Ridazz here, I'm talking about plain old fashioned riding a bike to buy some milk at the corner store.
ubrayj02 responding to a
comment by sinaphile
04.28.10 - 10:19 pm
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We are expanding? YES! More south-side rides!
Joe Borfo04.28.10 - 10:50 pm
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http://www.beagreencommuter.com/blog/?p=1951
dayone04.29.10 - 11:48 am
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southside riders go hit up critical mass tomorrow night.
Yoshawn04.29.10 - 11:52 am
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OK, we've got the "ignore them unless they're sexually available" angle, the "regard them as objects" angle, and the "patronize them because they're delicate flowers from whom little should be expected" angle so far. Can we come up with any other ways to insult half the population while this thread is still on the front page?
PC
04.28.10 - 5:04 pm
Whew! I thought I was going to have to say that, but PC covered it for me! To assume that women aren't out there riding because they are scared of the big bad cars more than men and because women only like slow and social is pretty insulting. There are a million other factors out there...like the sexism exhibited in so many of these fucking threads. The stupid comments a chick riding a bike gets when she's on her own. The even stupider comments a group of chicks riding bikes together gets.
My guess is that the absolute biggest reason more women don't ride bikes is due to stupid beauty norms. Chicks are brought up to think that they have to look a certain way at all times - clothes, make-up, hair - and riding a bike makes that more difficult. That is like a corrollary to why there may be more women on slow social rides, but it has nothing to do some sexist assumption about being passive because they're women.
And the MR community fully reinforces those stupid beauty ideals. Constantly.
Ms. Stephanie responding to a
comment by chunkylover09
04.29.10 - 2:26 pm
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Errr...the MR community as it is represented by this website. Excuse me. Not the MR community as a whole.
Ms. Stephanie04.29.10 - 2:27 pm
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To assume that women aren't out there riding because they are scared of the big bad cars more than men and because women only like slow and social is pretty insulting.
Ms. Stephanie
04.29.10 - 5:26 pm
The notion of women in the general population not riding bikes because they are afraid of big bad cars, and that they prefer slower social rides over faster rides, is the truth for not just women, but for people in general - so get off your fucking high horse.
Further, why should someone drop their cultural norms just because they ride a bike?! Cycling should not preclude you from maintaining your own identity as a female, male, etc.
Oh, here she is, the proud road warrior woman of bikes insulting you as she goes:
ubrayj02 responding to a
comment by Ms. Stephanie
04.29.10 - 4:19 pm
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Thats what Im saying!!! Ms. Stephanie is smashing people left and right today ...
OsnapsonJC responding to a
comment by Joe Borfo
04.29.10 - 4:25 pm
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Actually, I don't feel like getting into this particular debate, because I'm sick of it. Why didn't you tell PC to get off his fucking high horse, he made the same point I did. What about anything I said makes you think I have something against an individual woman who ride bikes dressed up? I could care less what a woman wears while riding a bike. I do, however, have something against patronizing attitudes. I also have something against the bullshit beauty standards that are likely behind women preferring riding slow - they won't sweat off their make-up, they can wear skirts, and their hair won't get messed up. In no way am I faulting the individual women for feeling that way, so you get off your fucking high horse.
Ms. Stephanie responding to a
comment by ubrayj02
04.29.10 - 4:46 pm
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Well put. I'm sick of people telling me I'm not pretty/I don't think I'm pretty just because I don't wear makeup. Like wtf society at large. Such bullshit.
danya responding to a
comment by Ms. Stephanie
04.29.10 - 4:56 pm
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there's nothing more attractive than a hot makeupless girl.
_iJunes responding to a
comment by danya
04.29.10 - 5:23 pm
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For real. Especially from up here, on my high horse!
PC responding to a
comment by _iJunes
04.29.10 - 5:29 pm
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i'm getting goosebumps thinking about it
_iJunes responding to a
comment by OsnapsonJC
04.29.10 - 5:39 pm
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FRANKI JO!!!! IM glad you joined us
Huey555 responding to a
comment by Frankie Jo
04.29.10 - 7:33 pm
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http://letsgorideabike.com/blog/2010/04/how-to-bike-commuting-in-a-suit/
dayone04.29.10 - 7:37 pm
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hmmm, i do not believe ubrayj02 was insulting since he was using a recent study by the LACBC and using information about how other countries such as Holland have developed better infracture to promote cycling for both sexes...but i suppose i do not find it insulting since I am guy...
however, if those numbers are right then shouldn't female riders inform us (males) why there is such a disparity.... it seems if I as a male attempt to consider reasons or rationalize why I see less female cyclists on my everyday rides then i may be upsetting female cyclists on this site....
"we've got the "ignore them unless they're sexually available" angle, the "regard them as objects" angle, and the "patronize them because they're delicate flowers from whom little should be expected" angle so far." Don't most women deal with this whether they are walking, jogging, at a bar, at a club, at a job... just the fact that this site has more than one thread to the question about women cyclists demonstrates there is still something...
the female cyclists on this site should step out of their own shoes because the women here seem to be different which is great.... but that is why they are on the streets and on their bicycles and like to get dirty with bicycle oil and can probably beat me on any cycling event... when they had the noho sprints recently... out of the 12-15 people there only 1 female rider was there kicking ass on her bmx... my question to these female cyclists on this site is... why the disparity?
the sad part of this is that if female cyclists can not find it appealing to ride with a community such as MR then where would they go.... apparently though, there are 2 sides of MR... the MR that gets posted on this site... and the MR that is exclusive...
dayone04.29.10 - 7:57 pm
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That is what I was getting at dayone. Midnight Ridazz are not your everyday average cyclist.
When I was stating a FACT about the population as a whole, that was taken to mean that I was inferring that women are somehow too weak (or whatever) to ride a bike. That is not true.
I listed three well-researched reasons why women don't ride (and men don't ride):
(1) Personal safety, i.e. getting mugged, robbed, attacked
(2) Automobile-only road design
(3) Cultural expectations - "You look like a dyke"; "I want to look pretty"; "Women don't do that sort of thing"; "I'm just clumsy/weak/scared".
Ms Stephanie, you don't like it when women go in for the overtly "I am a female" role. Fine. That is your prerogative, but that is not what the majority of women in our society do. A female should have a bike infrastructure and facilities that allow her to go as she pleases - whether that be in high heels with make-up or all road-warriored out.
The same goes for men, but obviously, there are fewer barriers to entry into bicycling for males hence the massive disparity in the counted number of cyclists on the streets that are male versus the number that are female.
This is a problem, but it is one that a lot of people are trying to work on.
In other countries, they have a very equitable split of men and women cycling, and most people do it in everyday clothes (i.e. likely conforming to some sort of gendered stereotype or role that you seem to dislike). That is one system that has worked in different parts of the world.
I'm not trying to, nor did I, denigrate female cyclists by STATING A FACT about the numbers of female cyclists.
I'm guessing that South Central LA has few female riders for the same reason it has few pedestrians - heavy automobile bias to the street design and worries about personal safety.
ubrayj02 responding to a
comment by dayone
04.29.10 - 8:14 pm
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"Ms Stephanie, you don't like it when women go in for the overtly "I am a female" role."
That's the thing, that's not what I'm saying. Not at all. I'm not What I don't go for is the extreme imposition of beauty standards on women. Girls, women - all of us - are brought up bombarded with imagery of what is beautiful, and that this type of beautiful is better, more valuable, better, more loved, more wanted, etc. In no way am I going to fault women who strive to be this imagery, to live up to these stupid standards. I am, however, going to try to point out at every chance I get that these standards exist, and that they're ridiculous. Women (and men, for that matter) should be able to wear whatever they want, look however they want to look, and not be valued more or less depending on how close they look to Barbie.
What I'm saying is that if you fought against these unfair, sexist standards, and more women became comfortable with not always looking like they images we are constantly bombarded with, you will get more women riders. Even without bike lanes.
Ms. Stephanie responding to a
comment by ubrayj02
04.29.10 - 9:39 pm
reply
"The same goes for men, but obviously, there are fewer barriers to entry into bicycling for males hence the massive disparity in the counted number of cyclists on the streets that are male versus the number that are female."
I'm not arguing that fewer women ride bikes. However, your assumptions of what the additional barriers for women are is what I took issue with. You don't know that more bike lanes and infrastructure make women feel safer, although I don't doubt that they make some women and men feel safer. You don't know that women prefer slower social rides because they're less aggressive. These are assumptions.
I'm telling you my assumption, which is not based on some innate female-ness that All Women Except Certain Strange Exceptions Share. My assumption is based on social construct and makes just as much sense.
Ms. Stephanie04.29.10 - 9:57 pm
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I can sorta see now that I'm not outlining what I'm saying clearly enough. I think that stupid SB 1070 thread wore me out.
Ms. Stephanie04.29.10 - 10:08 pm
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fool you told me a girl without makeup is like shopping at Ross.
you're so full of shit, it's unbelievable.
shotgunBOOMBOOM responding to a
comment by _iJunes
04.29.10 - 11:04 pm
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once in a while though you get lucky and find some good sh!t at ross. like a dkny shirt without an extra vowel.
tfunk408 responding to a
comment by shotgunBOOMBOOM
04.29.10 - 11:27 pm
reply
basically you're saying that if girls weren't so concerned with how pretty they look/feel, they'd be more into riding bikes?
or are you blaming the few attention-craving foxy hipster chicks who do come out to rides for ruining the riding experience of non-attention-craving non-foxy non-hipster chicks?
tfunk408 responding to a
comment by Ms. Stephanie
04.29.10 - 11:30 pm
reply
wait, so a non-attention-craving non-hipster can't be foxy? pfffft
shotgunBOOMBOOM responding to a
comment by tfunk408
04.30.10 - 1:42 am
reply
oh sure they can be foxy, but they are not relevant to the statement i made.
tfunk408 responding to a
comment by shotgunBOOMBOOM
04.30.10 - 1:58 am
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In no way am I going to fault women who strive to be this imagery, to live up to these stupid standards.
Are you sure that's the best thing to do here? Is there *no* point where we should actually put a little bit of responsibility on to women themselves--as human beings with functioning brains--to use those brains and refrain from letting vapid magazines and mindless TV shows and stupid men and stupid other women from telling them what they should look like?
As much as I would like to do the PC (har, har) thing and blame patriarchy and "the media" for this, I can't help but look at the women in my social circle who pretty much throw up a middle finger at anybody who tells them what they can't do, and wonder just how sorry I'm supposed to feel for women of average+ intelligence who won't do the same thing. After a certain point, I can't help thinking that to refuse to "fault" these women is just as insulting as the other insulting stuff that you and I are bemoaning here.
OK...and then I remember how hard it can be to break out of social norms when all the people around you treat you like you're insane for even thinking about it, and I feel bad for being such a meanie. But still. I mean, has anybody ever told these chicks that they can put on their stupid makeup (which they'd probably look better without) after they get to their destination?
PC responding to a
comment by Ms. Stephanie
04.30.10 - 3:59 am
reply
There's nothing more attractive than a prime cut, freshly roasted, honey bbq glazed....
iJunes!!!!!
Followed by a nice tall glass of liquefied RBI!!!!
bentstrider responding to a
comment by _iJunes
04.30.10 - 6:10 am
reply
You don't know that more bike lanes and infrastructure make women feel safer, although I don't doubt that they make some women and men feel safer. You don't know that women prefer slower social rides because they're less aggressive. These are assumptions.
Ms. Stephanie
04.30.10 - 12:57 am
See, this is where I have a problem because these are NOT assumptions. There is a modest, but fairly established literature about this stuff.
Alta Planning has a study about connected bicycle facilities in Portland called "Bridging the Gaps: How the Quality and Quantity of a Connected Bikeway Network Correlates with Increasing Bicycle Use" that shows quite clearly how the use of bicycles for transportation is directly related to the quality and interconnectedness of the bikeway network.
Regarding slower social rides and women, I have no science to point to, but I have 3 years of ride organizing to lend ample anecdotal evidence to back this up. The rides I organize are designed to be slow and social - and my rides end up with a fairly equitable mix of genders and ages as a result. The more overtly "aggressive", "fast" or "party"-oriented the rides have been, the more I've noticed that female riders, middle-aged (or older) men, and children choose to stay at home or do something else with their time.
So, in answer to Mr. South Central LA's "Where the ladies at?" - create a slow, social, group ride, maybe during weekend daylight hours to some place neutral and interesting. That will bump up the proportion of women riders, old adults, and kids. It will also help change perceptions about cycling in L.A. as being dangerous and something that only crazy people do.
ubrayj02 responding to a
comment by Ms. Stephanie
04.30.10 - 9:05 am
reply
"After a certain point, I can't help thinking that to refuse to "fault" these women is just as insulting as the other insulting stuff that you and I are bemoaning here. "
PC, you're absolutely correct - however, I'm just trying to separate myself as clearly as possible from the 2nd wave feminist, almost combative attitude toward other women who, if they didn't share a certain feminist perspective were then labeled and looked down on as having "false consciousness." Unfortunately, every time I bring up my point of view, I'm attacked for being A Feminist and not letting Women Be Who They Want To Be and I find myself trying to separate myself from the characterizations being forced upon me almost as much as trying to support my arguments. It's really fucking frustrating. Anyways, my point is that I was overstating it a bit in an attempt to distance myself from Joseph's interpretation of what I'm saying. When he posted the picture of the Chic Cyclist, he was WAY off base about what I was getting at.
Also, while I agree we have to put responsibility on women themselves (and men, for that matter...they can use their brains and challenge shit occassionally too), I try not to be spiteful about it, and I felt like Joseph was calling me catty.
And Joseph, just because there is a study that shows that more women ride when there is a network of connected bike paths still doesn't get to the heart of what we're discussing - I was taking issue of your characterization of WHY more women ride when there is a network of connected bike paths. You're concerned with with the facts and figures about the way things are, and I'm concerned with attacking the underlying reasons they are that way in the first place.
Ms. Stephanie responding to a
comment by PC
04.30.10 - 10:39 am
reply
think of how much easier your life would be if you werent a grown ass man stuck in elementary school.
instead you use this website to cry about the wind and how your local bike shops dont carrying parts for your recumbent.
ruinedbyidiots responding to a
comment by bentstrider
04.30.10 - 10:45 am
reply
hot makeupless girl.
i'm just ranking this up fairly high
_iJunes responding to a
comment by shotgunBOOMBOOM
04.30.10 - 11:28 am
reply
"basically you're saying that if girls weren't so concerned with how pretty they look/feel, they'd be more into riding bikes? "
If more girls weren't so concerned, more girls would be riding bikes.
"or are you blaming the few attention-craving foxy hipster chicks who do come out to rides for ruining the riding experience of non-attention-craving non-foxy non-hipster chicks?"
No.
Ms. Stephanie responding to a
comment by _iJunes
04.30.10 - 11:45 am
reply
Sounds like you wanna box or something?
I never direct any of my comments at you and it's been awhile since I last screamed about the wind and I gave up on the bikeshops here and just order away.
If anything, you've got some kind of beef with the way I go about things and instigation seems to be your weapon of choice.
So lets either squash it, or just ignore each others postings.
bentstrider responding to a
comment by ruinedbyidiots
04.30.10 - 11:47 am
reply
I hate it when I can't catch up with a girl on a bicycle (cruiser at that!).
shit puts my ego down. >=C
^olsko*jr704.30.10 - 11:53 am
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I was wondering if people caught that's what he was saying (PC?). Not that makeupless girls are hot, but that hot makeupless girls are hot. That was kind of a clever little successful troll post. Aw. Cute.
Ms. Stephanie responding to a
comment by _iJunes
04.30.10 - 11:53 am
reply
well i ride a bike and when i go on bike rides theres a few girls riding too ...
Feather197605.4.10 - 8:26 pm
reply
well that too. but what I think I really meant was, a beautiful woman is beautiful regardless of whether she applies makeup or not.
_iJunes responding to a
comment by Ms. Stephanie
05.4.10 - 8:41 pm
reply
Sorry Alice but in half the after pictures they look like trannys
Foldie responding to a
comment by alicestrong
05.9.10 - 10:18 am
reply
More 818 rides lol
or somthing im down to ride more whats going on
Alisha_101888@yahoo.com
Alisha8805.9.10 - 4:09 pm
reply
Seriously?
I jusy read this from Yoshawn?
Like Jet-son said
You need to get out more.
Delirium05.9.10 - 4:13 pm
reply
yeah, theres a threshold where once you pass, the more you have on, the more transparent it becomes.
_iJunes responding to a
comment by alicestrong
05.9.10 - 4:14 pm
reply
wheres the ride out lol....i know theres more 818 people out here
Alisha8805.9.10 - 4:15 pm
reply
I think that's a testament to how good transvestites can look
shotgunBOOMBOOM responding to a
comment by Foldie
05.9.10 - 4:40 pm
reply
Taco Tuesday #100 great turn out ladies
almost and very close as many females 2 males
Alisha8805.12.10 - 2:30 am
reply