Why these London, Ont., women dress up in fancy outfits to ride their bicycles around the city

A group of about a dozen women gathered at London's Victoria Park to take part in the city's second annual Fancy Women's Bike Ride on Sunday. 

Attendees dress up in fancy outfits and decorate their bicycles to go on a 4 kilometre ride around the city's downtown core. The event, open and inclusive to everyone, aims to raise awareness about the importance of safe cycling infrastructure.

"It's allowing people to have a way to get around that's economical but showing that this is our space and we should be able to navigate our city in a safe way," said Colleen Murphy, one of the organizers. "These are public spaces and women should be able to use them in a safe way."

The concept originated in Izmir, Turkey in 2013 to draw attention to World Car-free Day in September every year. It's now expanded to about 160 cities worldwide, said Funda Taskiran, who has hosted the event in London since immigrating from Turkey almost three years ago. 

"We want to create a sense of visibility and show people that you can be fancy and ride a bicycle at the same time. The two can be combined," she said.

For Trisha Sinclair, an avid cyclist, cycling is a great way to promote independence.

"I'm a mom of three but Sunday afternoons are my days to go biking on the Thames Valley Parkway trail and it's my personal time," said Sinclair.

She advises others to choose safe bike paths, which she believes the city needs more of, but to also wear safe cycling gear to ensure you're visible to others on the road. 

"I try to make a lot of eye contact and wave to people in cars because I do drive as well so I try and be considerate and watch for where drivers are going to be anxious and see if they're going to have any issues," Sinclair said.  

London's road design can make cycling unsafe with factors like inconsistent bike lanes, and street harassment female cyclists face, said Murphy, who has been car-free for more than 30 years. 

"There are certain roadways where it's unsafe, and we're seeing when people have a safer way to ride it becomes more equitable," she said. "Women are also more likely to bike with their children."

Murphy would like to see more places where bicycles can be safely stored and locked so people can get to and from their destinations without worrying about their bikes getting stolen, along with a grid that has separate and raised bike lanes.

Sinclair said there should be more bike paths that connect west London to its central downtown core, and work on what she refers to as "offshoots" that can take people from the city's south end to the Fanshawe Conservation area. 

The group hopes events like the fancy bike ride can connect other cyclist to one another, and they challenge all Londoners to take part in World Car-free Day coming up on Sept. 22.