Beauty and the Bike June 22, 2010

** Box office phone 08717 042061 **

The film Beauty and the Bike is the result of a project established by Darlington Media Group in 2008 to explore the reasons why girls in the UK stop cycling. It began with a group of teenagers and young women from Darlington, most of whom did not cycle regularly because cycling isn't cool, friends don't cycle, it isn't safe and it is unpleasant. The uncool image was picked up from the way in which cycling is normally presented in the UK: lycra, hi-visibility wear and helmets.

The girls were then put in touch with a similar group of girls in Bremen, Germany, where most young women cycle. They saw an alternative image: relaxed cycling on Dutch bikes, dressed in whatever you happen to be wearing.

Some of the girls then visited Bremen and, for the first time, found an urban environment designed with cycling in mind. Cycle routes were direct, traffic-free, quick and pleasant. Car drivers were considerate and drove at low speeds in shared streets, and gave way to cyclists.

The Bremen group visited Darlington and were shocked at the lack of quality infrastructure, how much space was allocated to motorised traffic and how aggressively motorists used "their" space.

Why do girls stop cycling? It's the infrastructure, stupid!

More info on the project: http://www.bikebeauty.org/english/

** Box office phone 08717 042061 **