The number of bicyclists is increasing in the United States,
especially among the working class and people of color. In contrast
to the demographics of bicyclists in the United States, advocacy
for bicycling has focused mainly on the interests of
white upwardly mobile bicyclists, leading to neighborhood
conflicts and accusations of racist planning. In Bike Lanes Are
White Lanes, scholar Melody L. Hoffmann argues that the bicycle has
varied cultural meaning as a "rolling signifier." That is, the
bicycle's meaning changes in different spaces, with different
people, and in different cultures. The rolling signification of the
bicycle contributes to building community, influences gentrifying
urban planning, and upholds systemic race and class barriers. In
this study of three prominent U.S. cities—Milwaukee, Portland, and
Minneapolis—Hoffmann examines how the burgeoning popularity of
urban bicycling is trailed by systemic issues of racism, classism,
and displacement. From a pro-cycling perspective, Bike Lanes Are
White Lanes highlights many problematic aspects of urban bicycling
culture and its advocacy as well as positive examples of people
trying earnestly to bring their community together through
bicycling.