Background

There are about 3 times less women cyclists than men cyclists in France.

Femmes en mouvement's action tackled the different perceptions of men and women in the public space when biking.  The association took advantage of the electoral campaign period for the municipal elections  in Paris to mobilize and raise awareness among the candidates. 

Goal

The principle of this intiative is to bring a candidate (or one of his or her representatives) to the 2020 municipal elections of the City of Paris to make a classic home-to-work bicycle trip, during the evening rush hour, i.e. in real conditions, at night. These rides allow the association to show what works well and what doesn't, the facilities that are appreciated by users and those that are not suited to everyday use, and above all to explain the users' feelings and perceptions: those of women of various ages, on bicycles, in public spaces.

Measure

A meeting point in a neighborhood where the local candidate was running for was chosen. Once there, the association members biked with candidates and explained the main obstacles and solutions to be implemented.

Outcome

Thanks to these rides, Femmes en Mouvement was able to raise awareness among political figures when it comes to biking infrastructures and women's experiences and to launch a debate on the physical, social and cultural barriers that limit women's cycling.

Femmes en Mouvement carried out 3 Vélodacieuses operations in February and March. To learn more, here are some articles written by the members of Femmes en Mouvement:

• Episode 1: "Opération Vélodacieuse : de la politique à la réalité terrain"
• Episode 2: "Opération Vélodacieuse – s01e02"
• Episode 3: "Opération Vélodacieuse - s01e03"
• "Is Paris the worst city for bikes?"

Sources:

[1] Opération Velodacieuse!.

https://femmesenmouvement.fr/2020/02/03/operation-velodacieuse/