Citation

Aldred R. Soc. Cult. Geogr. 2010; 11(1): 35-52.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/14649360903414593

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper uses in-depth interview data from Cambridge, England, to discuss the concept of the 'cycling citizen', exploring how, within heavily-motorised countries, the practice of cycling might affect perceptions of the self in relation to natural and social environments. Participants portrayed cycling as a practice traversing independence and interdependence, its mix of benefits for the individual and the collective making it an appropriate response to contemporary social problems. In this paper I describe how this can be interpreted as based on a specific notion of cycling citizenship rooted in the embodied practice of cycling in Cambridge (a relatively high cycling enclave within the low-cycling UK). This notion of cycling citizenship does not dictate political persuasion, but carries a distinctive perspective on the proper relation of the individual to their environment, privileging views 'from outside' the motor-car.

Language: en