Matter in or out of place? Bicycle parking strategies and their effects on people, practices and places

Bibliographic Data

ID3977698
AuthorsRachel Aldred (0000-0001-7413-7251, University of Westminster), K Jungnickel (0000-0003-2591-0820, Goldsmiths University of London)
Year2013
Volume14
Issue6
Pages604-624
Publication date2013-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial & Cultural Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-9365 • E-ISSN: 1470-1197
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649365.2013.790993
OpenAlexW2032019789
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited30

This study explores what bicycle parking strategies tell us about the place of mobility objects in contemporary urban streetscapes. It examines the bicycle's liminality by combining approaches from practice theory with Mary Douglas' concept of 'matter out of place'. Much research on cycling has concentrated on the bicycle in movement, yet in our research, based in four relatively high-cycling English urban areas, a common theme was concern about the bicycle when not in use. Bicycles at rest were perceived as threatened or threatening, risky or at-risk; affected by theft, vandalism, the weather, official and familial disapproval. In the study, we link this to the tenuous place of urban cycling in England; while bicycle ownership is widespread, everyday cycling remains marginalised and this shapes the place of the bicycle resting on city streets, in homes and in workplaces. Bicycles waiting for their owners are often 'matter out of place'. This is seen within the context of broader motorised landscapes which have made driving easier through locating driving competences in the car itself, while comparable cycling competences remain on the outside—with the cyclist

Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Cycling · Geography · Liminality · Sociology · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Spatial and Cultural Studies · Urban Transport and Accessibility