"You always think about what other people be thinking": Black men and barriers to cycling in London. (April 2023) - Osei, Akwesi
Abstract: The climate crisis and coronavirus pandemic have highlighted the need and potential to increase cycling, alongside inequalities in current cycling levels. In London, UK, groups including women, ethnic minority communities, and disabled people are under-represented. While gender-based marginalisation within cycling is more widely discussed, racial exclusions remain under-researched, and no other study focuses on experiences of cycling among Black men. This small qualitative study recruited Black male Londoners, a group whose cycling rates remain low compared to White males, although they have relatively high cycling potential and expressed demand for cycling. Speaking to Black men who cycle at least occasionally, it explored their experiences of and feelings about cycling, and the barriers that prevent them from cycling more. The analysis identifies barriers associated with direct discrimination or marginalisation, and barriers more connected to London's wider structural inequalities in areas such as employment, poverty, and housing. Among the former are racism, stop and search, and lack of visual representation; among the latter are access to infrastructure, secure parking, and the Cycle to Work scheme. Some interviewees suggest a Black cycling eco-system is needed to address a problematic dynamic of invisibility/visibility among Black men with respect to cycling. Highlights: In London, UK, cycling participation is skewed by age, gender, and ethnicity. This article studies experiences of Black men cycling in London. Barriers include affordability and access to infrastructure. Racism, stop and search, and representation were also important. Some interviewees call for a Black cycling eco-system.