Cycling After Dark in Stevenage Audit

This Autumn, we will be conducting an audit of social safety and lighting on our main cycleway network to produce a "Cycling After Dark in Stevenage" report.

We have been inspired to do this by the London Cycling Campaign Women's Network who audited the London Cycleway Network to produce their Women's Freedom After Dark report in February 2025.

Our  report will be published just before the Glow Ride event on Thursday 22nd October. 

The Stevenage audit will take place on a series of evenings from mid-September through to early October. 

Each session will start with a briefing on the audit criteria and then we will ride together on a short section of cycleway network, stopping to consider various aspects of social safety and lighting.

For social safety we will use similar metrics to these from the LCC Women's Network:

• Surveillance and Activity - Natural surveillance from the surrounding environment throughout the day and night
• Forward Visibility and Escape Routes - Effect of topography, vegetation and built environment on perceived and actual risk of crime
• Visibility of Others - Effect of lighting and street furniture on perceived and actual risk of crime.

In addition, we have access to some light meters to determine how effectively street lights on adjacent roads illuminate the cycleway. 

Can you help? 

We are very keen to enlist women who cycle on the Stevenage cycleway network to help us with this audit. 

Sessions will start at 8pm and will meet at a busy location such as a neighbourhood centre. The route chosen to audit will enable return to the same place by 9.30pm at the latest. 

This map shows the cycleways that we plan to audit - a total of 26 miles in all.

If you would like to volunteer to help, please use this link to indicate your availability.