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Incompetent or Too Competent? Negotiating Everyday Cycling Identities in a Motor Dominated Society

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  • Rachel Aldred

Abstract

This article uses the concept of stigma to explore cycling identities in the UK. Drawing on interview data, it argues that people who cycle are caught between two threats: appearing too competent as a cyclist (a 'proper cyclist'), and appearing not competent enough (a 'bad cyclist'). Strategies of identity management are discussed, which can include elements of negotiation, disavowal and challenge. The article aims to show that transport modes can produce disadvantaged and stigmatised social identities: like other forms of stigma these are mediated both by social environments and by other social identities. Implications for policy and advocacy are suggested.

Suggested Citation

  • Rachel Aldred, 2013. "Incompetent or Too Competent? Negotiating Everyday Cycling Identities in a Motor Dominated Society," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 252-271, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rmobxx:v:8:y:2013:i:2:p:252-271
    DOI: 10.1080/17450101.2012.696342
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    Cited by:

    1. Parker, Cory, 2019. "Bicycle use and accessibility among people experiencing homelessness in California cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. Gössling, Stefan, 2013. "Urban transport transitions: Copenhagen, City of Cyclists," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 196-206.
    3. Fitt, Helen & Curl, Angela, 2020. "The early days of shared micromobility: A social practices approach," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Osborne, Natalie & Grant-Smith, Deanna, 2017. "Constructing the cycling citizen: A critical analysis of policy imagery in Brisbane, Australia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 44-53.
    5. Alan Latham & Peter R H Wood, 2015. "Inhabiting Infrastructure: Exploring the Interactional Spaces of Urban Cycling," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 47(2), pages 300-319, February.
    6. Aldred, Rachel & Watson, Tom & Lovelace, Robin & Woodcock, James, 2019. "Barriers to investing in cycling: Stakeholder views from England," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 149-159.
    7. Julie Gamble, 2017. "Experimental Infrastructure: Experiences in Bicycling in Quito, Ecuador," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(1), pages 162-180, January.
    8. Lena Kilian & Anne Owen & Andy Newing & Diana Ivanova, 2022. "Exploring Transport Consumption-Based Emissions: Spatial Patterns, Social Factors, Well-Being, and Policy Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-26, September.
    9. Rybarczyk, Greg & Gallagher, Laura, 2014. "Measuring the potential for bicycling and walking at a metropolitan commuter university," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 1-10.
    10. Sergio A. Useche & Francisco Alonso & Aleksey Boyko & Polina Buyvol & Irina Makarova & Gleb Parsin & Mireia Faus, 2024. "Promoting (Safe) Young-User Cycling in Russian Cities: Relationships among Riders’ Features, Cycling Behaviors and Safety-Related Incidents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-17, April.
    11. Popan, Cosmin & Anaya-Boig, Esther, 2021. "The intersectional precarity of platform cycle delivery workers," SocArXiv tk6v8, Center for Open Science.
    12. Aldred, Rachel & Woodcock, James, 2015. "Reframing safety: An analysis of perceptions of cycle safety clothing," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 103-112.
    13. Eccarius, Timo & Leung, Abraham & Shen, Chung-Wei & Burke, Matthew & Lu, Chung-Cheng, 2021. "Prospects for shared electric velomobility: Profiling potential adopters at a multi-campus university," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    14. Osei, Akwesi & Aldred, Rachel, 2023. "“You always think about what other people be thinking”: Black men and barriers to cycling in London," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    15. Rahul Goel & Oyinlola Oyebode & Louise Foley & Lambed Tatah & Christopher Millett & James Woodcock, 2023. "Gender differences in active travel in major cities across the world," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 733-749, April.
    16. Gamble, Julie & Snizek, Bernhard & Nielsen, Thomas Sick, 2017. "From people to cycling indicators: Documenting and understanding the urban context of cyclists' experiences in Quito, Ecuador," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 167-177.
    17. Morgan, Njogu, 2020. "The stickiness of cycling: Residential relocation and changes in utility cycling in Johannesburg," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    18. Gössling, Stefan & Choi, Andy S., 2015. "Transport transitions in Copenhagen: Comparing the cost of cars and bicycles," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 106-113.
    19. Li, Xiaomeng & Pooyan Afghari, Amir & Oviedo-Trespalacios, Oscar & Kaye, Sherrie-Anne & Haworth, Narelle, 2023. "Cyclists perception and self-reported behaviour towards interacting with fully automated vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    20. Laura S. Fruhen & Patrick Benetti & Lisette Kanse & Isabel Rossen, 2023. "Why Not Pedal for the Planet? The Role of Perceived Norms for Driver Aggression as a Deterrent to Cycling," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-14, March.
    21. Teixeira, João Filipe & Silva, Cecília & Moura e Sá, Frederico, 2022. "The strengths and weaknesses of bike sharing as an alternative mode during disruptive public health crisis: A qualitative analysis on the users’ motivations during COVID-19," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 24-37.
    22. Sherwin, Henrietta & Chatterjee, Kiron & Jain, Juliet, 2014. "An exploration of the importance of social influence in the decision to start bicycling in England," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 32-45.
    23. Sergio Useche & Luis Montoro & Francisco Alonso & Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios, 2018. "Infrastructural and Human Factors Affecting Safety Outcomes of Cyclists," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-11, January.
    24. Lugo, Adonia E., 2013. "CicLAvia and human infrastructure in Los Angeles: ethnographic experiments in equitable bike planning," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 202-207.
    25. Aldred, Rachel, 2016. "Cycling near misses: Their frequency, impact, and prevention," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 69-83.

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