Section Article

Bicycle Commuting as a Statement of Urban Resistance
Author(s): Ram Kishor

Abstract
Bicycle commuting in urban India traditionally seen as a necessity for the working poor is undergoing a symbolic transformation. As Indian cities grapple with traffic congestion rising fuel costs and environmental degradation a growing segment of urban dwellers—students professionals and activists—is embracing the bicycle not just as a mode of transport but as a political statement. This paper investigates the emerging phenomenon of bicycle commuting as a form of urban resistance examining how it challenges dominant mobility patterns questions socio-economic hierarchies and asserts rights to the city. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Delhi Pune and Bengaluru as well as interviews with cyclists urban planners and environmental activists the study reveals that cycling represents a conscious act of reclaiming public space asserting environmental ethics and rejecting car-centric urbanism. The paper argues that bicycle commuting far from being apolitical or utilitarian serves as a form of embodied protest against inequitable unsustainable and exclusionary urban development models.