Quieter lockdown roads inspired a 50% rise in women trying cycling in England. For some riders it turned into more than a new hobby
Fiona Forster had never felt comfortable driving on the busy roads near her home in St Albans, but when the cars disappeared during lockdown last year it opened up a whole new world.
“I would never have gone out in the traffic levels like they are now. I was too worried that I’d get knocked off by a car or someone would drive past me too quickly, I just never had the confidence,” said the 40-year-old who is self-employed. “But I never saw a car probably for most of April.”