Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Why Were Saudi Women Denied the Right to Bike Until This Week?

In a bit of news that's bound to add some perspective to your local battles, Saudi Arabia this week lifted the ban on public biking for women, sort of. World Streets' Eric Britton relays the report from Al Jazeera:

On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice overturned a previous ban on cycling and motorbiking for women. The ruling stipulates that women must wear a full-body abaya, be accompanied by a male relative, and stay within certain areas. They are allowed to bike for recreational purposes only, not as a primary mode of transportation.

Britton writes that some of the credit may be due to the film "Wadjda" -- trailer shown above -- a portrait of a Saudi girl who dreams of owning a bicycle and racing her male peers. It wouldn't be the first time bicycling and women's liberation have intertwined.

Some historians credit the late 19th century bicycling movement with helping to fuel the successful campaign for women's suffrage in the United States.

Were there not some power in the ability to transport yourself freely, by your own force, it seems doubtful that bicycling would have been banned for women in Saudi Arabia in the first place. The fact that women still aren't permitted to bike for transportation demonstrates that this repressive state still fears the effects of bicycling on women's position in society.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Wash Cycle reports that a man who was caught on video trying to run a cyclist off the road will likely be spared jail time, or even a suspended license. And the Active Transportation Alliance's Town Square blog shares a study that measured what Illinois's trail system contributed to the state's economy.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Got DOGE’d Again

Amidst uncertainty about future federal funding, Amtrak is cutting $100 million and 450 jobs.

May 9, 2025

Friday Video: Where Was the First Public Bus Route in the World?

...and which surprising historical figure helped launch it?

May 9, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Not Gonna Pay a Lot for This Truck

President Trump's tariffs, along with rising insurance costs, are driving down Americans' interest in owning a car.

May 8, 2025

How One Suburb is Using Transit to Transform Into a True City

A Washington State suburb may be poised to evolve into a true transit-oriented hub – and offer lessons for other bedroom communities, even during an anti-transit era.

May 8, 2025
See all posts