Off the Computer and Into the Saddle: Austin Cycling Media and Community Engagement

Chris McConnell

University of Texas at Austin

IAMCR, Braga, July 2010

The Project

• Austin has seen the emergence of a few large casual bicycle rides in recent years

• Participation in bicycle-advocacy has increased

• What role have local cycling-oriented media such as blogs and ‘zines played in this?

The Study

• Semi-structured interviews with 25 cyclists

• Approached at two large rides, Critical Mass and Thursday Night Social ride

• Subjects were queried about media use, social ties, participation in lobbying or advocacy

• Additional 18 months of participant observation

Bicycles

• Low-cost form of transportation

• Minimal environmental impact

• Lack of enclosure improves sociality

• Sometimes difficult to integrate into motorized transport infrastructure

• US is particularly bike-hostile

Austin, Texas

• State Capital of Texas• Home to University of Texas• 786,382 population, 1,705,075 metro• Doubled in size in approx. 25 years• About 118,000 university-level students• Youthful population• Faces substantial transportation and

planning problems

Cycling in Austin

• Long home to a transportation cycling community

• Lance Armstrong is a local hero• >1% of commutes are done by bike, about

twice US average• Silver-level rating from League of American

Bicyclists• Many streets have bike lanes or other

accommodations, but no integrated network

A typology of Cycling• Sport

– Rides for exercise, competition

• Transportation– Commuting, shopping, utility

• Casual– Rides for fun, some exercise or utility

This paper is primarily interested in Transportation and Casual cyclists

Austin Cycling Media

• ATXBS.com: blog listing casual rides with some commentary

• BicycleAustin.info: advocacy site with forum and email list

• Social Cycling ATX: spread across social media platforms like Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter

• The Dropout: print ‘zine on bike culture• Variety of personal blogs, organizations

Critical Mass

• Monthly civil disobedience ride in rush-hour, performed in cities worldwide

• Performed since 1991

• Attracts about 75-80 cyclists in Austin

• Furness (2009) performative/embodied communication practice.

• “It’s kind of an outlaw ride,” Al, 60

“There’s something really empowering about riding with a big group of people. It’s a thrill you can’t get anywhere else.” -Melissa, 19

Critical Mass

Thursday Night Social Ride

• Weekly casual ride, ends at bars• Began in 2008 by Social Cycling ATX• Organized and promoted through Facebook• Participants are expected to follow traffic

laws, stop at red lights.• Draws as many as 300 riders in nice weather• Not overtly political, but engages in some

advocacy

Thursday Night Social Ride

• “The more rides like this, the better image we have. The more rides like this the safer it will be for everyone.”– Keith, TNSR organizer

Other Rides in Austin

• Midnite Ridazz• Skellies• Tuesday Night Yoga

Ride• World Naked Bike

Ride• Full Moon Cruise

Information about Rides

• Although SCATX and ATXBS broadcast ride announcements, most subjects indicated that they knew where and when rides started

• New riders said they discovered rides through these sites.

• Many riders said they learned of rides through friends.

Subjects on ATXBS

• ATXBS was almost the only blog mentioned by subjects.

• “It’s definitely created a sense of community.” - Sara, 28

• “There’s always a different ride.” - Joseph, 28

• Enjoy irreverent tone, presence of editor on rides

Bike Media

• “Biking is kind of like an outdoor thing while the Internet is kind of a sit-on-your-ass thing.” Melissa, 19, “addict”

• Most subjects said they did not go online to learn about cycling or bikes.

• In fact, many subjects just thought this was strange

• Few reported going online for information about bicycle advocacy

Motivations for Participation• Social Capital/Community

– Participants go to rides to see friends meet new people, be around other cyclists

– “I just like the social aspect of cycling; it’s just a real positive vibe.” - Troy, 60

• Identity– “Everyone doesn’t have to be the power-

bar eating, spandex kind of biker.” - Rachel, 28

Politics and Advocacy

• Few subjects reported the desire to make a political statement as a reason for participating, even in Critical Mass

• Few subjects claimed to have an interest in bike advocacy, although they would like to see more bike lanes, better police treatment, etc.

• Still bike-related political events see good turnout

Conclusions

• The regular casual rides seem to be mostly about the formation and maintenance of social capital

• Batterbury (2003) advocacy as social network rather than social movement, single-issue emphasis

• Influential bike blogs like ATXBS can use their social captial to deploy cyclists for advocacy purposes

Further Directions and Questions

• Conduct interviews at city forums and advocacy events

• More interviews with media producers.• The local bike media does seem to

have an influence over this bike community, yet the bikers don’t talk about it.

• How is it that they influence this group?