Taking the Tyke on a Bike: Mothers' and Childless Women's Space-Time Geographies in Amsterdam Compared

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between cycling and mothers' mobility in Amsterdam. Considering that mothers (still) tend to be responsible for transporting children and doing so on a bicycle may increase the difficulties of travel, the city's push for cycling may not suit mothers' mobility needs. Hence, this research aimed to uncover whether mothers' physical levels and experience of mobility by bicycle are by any means inferior to childless women's in Amsterdam. Activity-travel data, collected among thirty-seven women living and working in Amsterdam, informed the results of this research. Throughout a space-time GIS analysis, mothers barely differed from childless women in their amount of and predilection for cycling: mothers generally did not consider the transport of their children on the bicycle as an exertion or safety issue, but rather as a practical means of transport and a pleasurable moment to bond with children. However, mothers and childless women often differed in their travel schedules and purposes, implying that mothers face specific mobility challenges, which evolve as children grow older.