How to encourage more women to cycle?

Yeah I agree, I've been loaned a Bobbin Bike (big cumbersome Pashley type bike) for a couple of days and it is SO unstable and heavy! If I was a newb to cycling having such an unpredictable and annoying bike would definitely not help soothe my nerves when in the middle of rush hour traffic. Filtering must be pretty much impossible. Let alone getting any momentum up hills.

On a bike like that I wouldn't bother trying to filter. It's a different style of riding - slower and laid back, and of course drivers tend to give you more space.

YMMV but I find it a lot less fraught taking this approach in the rush hour.