Researcher Njogu Morgan analyses the development of bicycle use and culture in Johannesburg (South Africa).
Johannesburg is the first non-European city in the Cycling Cities program. The city was a real cycling city before the Second World War. Morgan describes the rise and gradual disappearance of cycling in Johannesburg. It’s a story of power, class, race and mobility. In the beginning, bicycle ownership was limited to the urban elites. That changed when commuters discovered the bike as a means of transport. We learn about the experience of the cyclist during the Apartheid era and decades of auto-centric planning. Morgan defines the obstacles that must be overcome if Johannesburgers want to rebuild their city into a real bicycle metropolis.
