A History of Bicycle Mobility in Urban China: Shared Bikes, Technology, and Infrastructure (Part 2 of 2)

In the first entry (www.eth.mpg.de/molab-inventory/mobility-infrastructure/history-of-bicycle-mobility-in-urban-China-part-one) on bicycle mobility in urban China, I trace how the changing visions and practices of urban development have shaped and reshaped urban environments as China has transformed from a kingdom of bicycles to a country of cars. Building on that history, which covers the period from the 1970s until today, this second entry examines a new form of bicycle mobility which emerged in 2014. That is, mobility based on shared bicycles. Bicycle mobility, like automobility, is conventionally understood as a private or individualized form of mobility. Yet bike sharing programs, often operated through public-private partnerships, provide a flexible form of “public” transit. In the last two decades, bike sharing programs have sprung up in a number of cities around the world. Drawing on fieldwork in urban areas of the Pearl River Delta region in China, this entry illustrates the role of “dockless” shared bike schemes run by private technology companies in the daily lives of residents. I argue that in cities where there is no large scale infrastructural support for cycling, shared bicycles may not be as environmentally friendly or healthy as one might expect.