London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Public Health and Policy, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom.
Soc Sci Med. 2011 Apr;72(7):1123-30. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.01.033. Epub 2011 Feb 18.
As a form of 'active transport', cycling has been encouraged as a route to improving population health. However, in many high-income countries, despite being widely seen as a 'healthy' choice, few people do cycle for transport. Further, where cycling is rare, it is not a choice made equally across the population. In London, for instance, cycling is disproportionately an activity of affluent, White, men. This paper takes London as a case study to explore why the meanings of cycling might resonate differently across urban, gendered, ethnic and class identities. Drawing on qualitative interview data with 78 individuals, we suggest first that the relative visibility of cycling when few do it means that it is publicly gendered in a way that more normalised modes of transport are not; conversely, the very invisibility of Black and Asian cyclists reduces their opportunities to see cycling as a candidate mode of transport. Second, following Bourdieu, we argue that the affinities different population groups have for cycling may reflect the locally constituted 'accomplishments' contained in cycling. In London, cycling represents the archetypal efficient mode for autonomous individuals to travel in ways that maximise their future-health gain, and minimise wasted time and dependence on others. However, it relies on the cultivation of a particular 'assertive' style to defend against the risks of road danger and aggression. While the identities of some professional (largely White) men and women could be bolstered by cycling, the aesthetic and symbolic goals of cycling were less appealing to those with other class, gendered and ethnic identities.
作为一种“主动运输”形式，循环运动已被鼓励作为改善人口健康的一种途径。然而，在许多高收入国家，尽管被广泛视为“健康”的选择，但很少有人选择骑自行车出行。此外，在很少有人骑自行车的地方，这种选择并不是在整个人口中平等做出的。例如，在伦敦，骑自行车主要是富裕、白人、男性的活动。本文以伦敦为例，探讨为什么骑自行车的意义在城市、性别、种族和阶级身份方面可能会产生不同的共鸣。我们通过对 78 名个体的定性访谈数据进行分析，提出了以下观点。首先，由于骑自行车的人相对较少，因此当很少有人骑自行车时，它会在公共场合呈现出一种性别特征，而这种性别特征在更为正常的交通方式中并不明显；相反，黑人和亚洲骑自行车的人非常不显眼，这减少了他们将骑自行车视为一种可能的交通方式的机会。其次，我们认为，不同人群对骑自行车的亲和力可能反映了当地构成的与骑自行车相关的“成就”。在伦敦，骑自行车代表了自主个体以最大化未来健康收益、最小化浪费时间和依赖他人的方式进行高效出行的典型模式。然而，它依赖于培养一种特别的“自信”风格，以抵御道路危险和攻击的风险。虽然一些职业人士（主要是白人）男性和女性的身份可以通过骑自行车得到加强，但骑自行车的审美和象征目标对那些具有其他阶级、性别和种族身份的人来说，吸引力较小。
