Bicycling and politics : movements, strategies and visions in bicycle activism in Sweden

• The Swedish national government, as transport authorities and many Swedish municipalities, are currently planning and implementing ambitious programs that are designed to promote cycling and increase the share of cycling among everyday travel modes. However, with more ‘pro-cycling’ discourses and in the wake of antagonism and lack of road space for increasing numbers of cyclists, new forms of bicycle activism appears to be on the rise.The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the ways in which bicycle activists in Sweden construct their politics and the role of bicycle activism as a vehicle for contributing to more sustainable cycling futures. What are their concrete approaches and strategies that inform their activism? How do activists and advocates view bicyclists as e.g. vulnerable, angry or marginalized subjects, and how do they view their roles as spokespersons for these groups? What alternative visions for cycling and cyclists are expressed? Empirically the paper focuses on three expressions of contemporary bicycling activism/advocacy; the Swedish national cycling advocacy organization, the ad-hoc “Ghost Bike Sweden” and the on-line based “Bike Maffia”-initiative in Stockholm.It is argued that all three reflect a “contested terrain” with regard to approaches and strategies to bicycle activism (Vivanco 2013, 103).  Although all three share an ambition to improve conditions for cyclists, they reflect core differences in their strategies and views on bicycling as contested practice: from more pragmatic, policy- and solution-oriented approaches to explicitly political and hands-on street-level activism. All three organisations/initiatives also represents different forms of grassroots organisations with different capacities to participate within formal governance structures. However, the more activist based initiatives seem to create spaces for new forms of political engagement beyond formal institutions – initiatives that also are worth listening to. 

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Genusstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Gender Studies (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Activism

bicycling

cycling advocacy

Sweden

cultural politics

Gender Studies

Genusvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)