In London, a city where a third of the population identifies as black, Asian and minority ethnic, 86% of male cyclists and 94% of female cyclists are white – and two thirds of all cyclists are male.
Despite the former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson’s strategy to improve the demographics of cycling, it still maintains a very much white, male, middle class constituency. [...]
The Chigago Tribune newspaper reviewed police statistics on the number of biking tickets issued by the police in the city. And the review showed that more than twice as many tickets are being written in African-American communities than in white or Latino areas. These tickets are often given out for minor offences, such as cycling on the pavements, but in some cases cyclists have ended up being arrested. [...]
The significance of “race” and white privilege is not only an issue for British cycling and its mass participation goals, but also for the international governing body for cycling – the UCI – whose Cycling for All Manifesto has not yet considered these subtle differences in how black riders experience cycling.
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