Plan 299B Research Methods in Planning

Marie Claire P. Mandar

A Comparative Study on Cycling Safety and Accessibility for Women: Assessing LGU
Policies and Infrastructure in the City of Manila and Marikina City

Research Question: How do the City of Manila and Marikina City address cycling safety and
accessibility for women, and what policy interventions can improve their gender-
responsiveness?

Objectives of the Study:

1. To compare the specific safety concerns and barriers faced by women cyclists in the
City of Manila and Marikina City.
2. To assess the adequacy of current cycling infrastructure in both cities in addressing the
needs of women cyclists.
3. To evaluate the gender responsiveness of cycling-related initiatives and policies in the
City of Manila and Marikina City.
4. To propose tailored policy interventions for each city to improve cycling safety and
accessibility for women.

Review of Related Literature (in Progress)

Social media frequently features posts advocating for cycling as a practical mode of
transportation. The topic of cycling in the research community worldwide, particularly regarding
its safety and accessibility for women, has expanded in response to cities' initiatives to promote
cycling as part of their broader goals of fostering inclusivity in urban mobility. Although many
studies have looked at these issues in different parts of the world, there is still a lack of research
in the Philippines. This paper aims to fill that gap by reviewing existing studies and highlighting
the main challenges and opportunities for promoting cycling that is friendly to women in the
Philippines.

Nogueira and Diaz (2023) define accessibility as the ease with which individuals can
reach goods, services, and opportunities. This concept is influenced by various factors,
including physical ability, cost, safety, available infrastructure, and the frequency of
transportation options. In contrast, mobility pertains to the capacity of individuals to travel from
one location to another using the existing transportation systems and infrastructure.

Additionally, Jamei et al. (2022) introduce the notion of "perceived accessibility," which
refers to individuals' perceptions of how easy and safe it is to utilize transportation. People’s
feelings about safety and how good the service is (like whether buses come on time) are very
important. If people feel safe and the service is good, they think transportation is easy to use.
But if they feel unsafe or that the service is bad, they think it's harder to get around. This means
that when cities plan transportation, they need to think about how people feel about using it, not
just about physical things like roads or bus stops. Their study emphasizes that these
perceptions should be integral to transportation planning.

Moreover, Nogueira and Diaz (2023) focused on how socioeconomic factors influence
one’s access to infrastructure, which can further explain how these affect women as part of the
marginalized group. Their study evaluated public transportation and walkability in Pasig City and
explored how these are connected to socioeconomic factors. Results of their study showed that
barangays with more poverty and higher populations tend to have worse infrastructure for
walking and less access to public transportation.

Santos et al. (2024), on the other hand, focused on the experiences of cyclists in Metro
Manila, explaining why people choose cycling despite poor infrastructure and safety concerns.
The study highlighted the positive and negative experiences of commuter cyclists in terms of
safety and infrastructure. Though only general insights on the role of external factors such as
road conditions, poor policies, and external risks were provided in the study, these can be used
as benchmarks to assess the current experiences of women in cycling.

Cruz (2017) explains why fewer women in Metro Manila use bicycles, pointing out that
safety concerns, lack of a cycling culture, and gender stereotypes discourage them. Cruz
argues for cities to become more gender-responsive by improving infrastructure and involving
women in transportation planning. The study emphasizes the need for cities to become more
gender-responsive by improving infrastructure and involving women in transportation planning.

Sarza (2024) offers a critical analysis of current cycling policies in the Philippines,
arguing that while laws like the Safe Pathways Act are beneficial, they do not fully address the
needs of women and people with disabilities. Sarza (2024) argued that cycling policies should
take into account the unique needs of women, especially regarding safety, access, and mobility.
The study also pointed out how gender and factors such as socioeconomic status and disability
are often overlooked in infrastructure and policy development.

Batalla (2021) examines the experiences of Filipino women cyclists, based on their
stories shared in an online group. The study highlights the safety concerns and cultural barriers
women face, but also shows how online communities empower them. Batalla's research
supports the need for inclusive transport planning that addresses the specific challenges women
cyclists encounter.

----- to add more references

This flowchart shows how different things affect whether women choose to ride bikes, especially
in cities. It starts by looking at important factors that create the biking environment. One factor is
the way the city is built. This includes things like having bike lanes, signs, and parking spots that
make riding bikes easy and safe. Another factor is what people think about women riding bikes.
If society encourages women to ride, it makes them feel more comfortable; if not, they might feel
scared or not welcome. Safety is also a big deal. Women worry not just about getting in
accidents but also about feeling safe from things like harassment or violence when they ride.
Lastly, there are rules and policies from the government that can help or make it harder for
women to bike.

These important factors affect things like how good the biking paths are, how safe the area is,
what the government does to help, and how people view biking. For example, having good bike
paths and safe places to park makes it easier for women to ride. If there are good lights and
safe paths, women will feel safer. Government programs that support biking and laws that
protect cyclists also help create a better biking environment. How people think about biking—if
they see it as safe and practical—affects how willing women are to ride.

Next, we look at how these factors connect to what women actually experience. This includes
how easy it is to access biking paths, how safe they feel, and how much support they get from
their community. If the bike paths are hard to get to, women won’t ride as much. Even if the
paths are safe, women may not feel safe. If the community encourages women to ride bikes,
they will feel more confident.

In the end, all these things together influence how many women choose to ride bikes. The
flowchart also points out that special policies can help address issues women face, like feeling
unsafe or dealing with harassment. These policies can really help women ride bikes more often
and create a friendly space for female cyclists.
Methodology:
Survey

References:

Batalla, C. S. (2021). "Babae Kasi: Intersectional Voices of Female Cyclists in the Pinay Bike
Commuter Facebook Page." Undergraduate Research Report, Ateneo de Manila University.

Cruz, M. D. (2017). "Women, Cycling, and Sustainable Cities." Philippine Journal of Social
Development, 9.

Jamei, E., et al. (2022). "Perceived Accessibility and Key Influencing Factors in Transportation."
Sustainability, 14(10806).

Nogueira, A. C. C. S., & Diaz, C. E. D. (2023). Evaluating public transport accessibility and
walkability in Pasig City (Philippines) and their correlation to socioeconomic factors at the
Barangay level. Asian Transport Studies, 9, 100117.

Santos, G. P., Balbin, M. V., Corpus, A. N., & Lacson, D. A. G. (2024). Biyaheng De-pedal: A
Descriptive Phenomenological Study on the Commute Experience of Filipino Cyclists in Metro
Manila in Association with Social Practice Theory. Psychology and Education: A
Multidisciplinary Journal, 21(1), 8-14.

Sarza, B. A. (2024). The Road to Inclusive Mobility and Accessibility: Interweaving Intersectional
Feminism with Disability Discourse through Cycling in the Philippines. Social Ethics Society
Journal of Applied Philosophy, Special Issue, 222-243.