Campaign gets Shetland 'Women into Cycling'

When Monika Farkas moved to Shetland from Southampton in December 2020 she arrived with her favourite mode of transport – a bicycle.

The days were short, winter weather was beginning to bite and everyone told Monika to get a car as “it wouldn’t be possible to live in Shetland without one”. She was glad to prove them wrong.

“Living in Lerwick and working for the local college, I found that was a perfect distance to commute two to three times a week,” Monika said. “I felt that the drivers were generous when overtaking.”

In January 2022 Monika started a new role as a project officer working with NHS Shetland and cycling charity Sustrans, encouraging more NHS staff members to use active travel methods for their commute.

More than 80% of NHS Shetland staff are women and “most of them cited safety as a reason for not cycling regularly”. Monika says the challenge was obvious – “we need to make sure people feel safe and confident when cycling.”

The good news was that more people had taken to pedal-powered transport when far fewer vehicles were on the roads during the lockdowns of 2020. However, Monika was aware that more needed to be done to make cycling accessible for everyone.

While the weather can be deterrent, Monika says safety remains one of the biggest reasons why fewer women in Shetland enjoy cycling than men.

To help combat the lack of confidence, she joined forces with Anna Gudaniec, Shetland Development Officer for Cycling UK. Together they launched a ‘Women into Cycling’ course for Shetland residents, inspired after a Sustrans colleague in Northern Ireland told Monika about a similar cycling course.

The programme is for women and aims to help them overcome their fears and learn basic cycling skills while being in a like-minded and friendly environment. It is intended for women who are new or returning to riding and want to gain some confidence with a super friendly, fun and women-only group.

Anna says: “Monika approached me with this idea to run a women’s cycling course. I thought it was a lovely idea, but really wasn’t sure anyone would be interested to sign up. I was proved very wrong.”

The first course received lots of interest and it was a big success. Soon enough they were planning the second set of sessions, which comprise of learning about the new Highway Code, passing on cycling general knowledge and bike maintenance.

The aim is for participants to become confident cyclists by the end of the four weeks and possibly even go for a led ride.

The group has received lots of great feedback:

“I've not cycled much and have low confidence in it, and this is just the opportunity I'd been dreaming of.”

“The group was a supportive, friendly bunch of women with various experiences of cycling. And the course leaders, Anna and Monika, couldn’t have been more encouraging.”

“In a safe, friendly environment, we discussed what was preventing us from getting out on our bikes. Over the next four weeks, these fears were addressed, and we had the opportunity to develop our cycling skills, learn how to check whether a bike is safe to use and, importantly for me, how to fix a puncture – not as hard as I thought. I’m now looking to purchase my own bike through the Cycle2Work scheme and can’t wait to head out to explore Shetland’s roads.”

The positive reviews are testimony to the friendly, fun and empowering approach that Monika and Anna wanted to create – a safe space to learn more about bikes and cycling.

“At Sustrans and Cycling UK we agree that everyone should feel empowered to cycle whenever they want to,” says Anna.

Monika and Anna are both moving to another destination to encourage more and more people to cycle and be more active. Their legacy to Shetland is a group that serves as an example for everyone that it is never too late to change your behaviour and learn a new skill.

As Monika says: “Is cycling possible in Shetland? Yes.

“Is it only for men with an expensive bike and a lot of extra equipment? Definitely not.”