Cycling Societies

Abstract

The future of cycling is about to change - at least, if we believe the multitude of innovators, start-ups, industries, policy actors and consultants proposing to harness the power of digital techniques to improve and transform cycling experiences and infrastructures. This ‘smartification’ of cycling is increasingly attracting attention and investment as cities experiment with bikeshares and smart infrastructures, powered by ICT and IoT technologies. However, the proposed cycling futures receive little critical scrutiny. In this chapter we fill this gap by examining how innovations are believed to change the way cycling is practiced, made sense of and governed. We analyse texts on smart cycling innovations and outline changes envisioned by innovators. Having identified tensions between and within a range of promised futures, we conclude that smart cycling futures are multiple and contested, just as cycling presents are, offering diverse ideas about an ideal cycling experience, relationships with other road users, mode of governing cycling and so on.

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