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FOSTERING BICYCLING CULTURE IN THE INSTITUTIONAL POLICY PLANNING OF CITIES

A PROMOÇÃO DA BICICULTURA NA POLÍTICA INSTITUCIONAL DE PLANEJAMENTO DAS CIDADES

ABSTRACT

The objective this research understand perspective of cycloactivists South Region of Brazil in the promotion biciculture in their respective territories. We interviewed six cycloactivists with inclusion criteria: a) being militant cyclo-activist; b) holding political office and c) developing citizenship projects in both public and private management. From the phenomenological-hermeneutic methodology emerged units of meaning 'The cycling activist movement organization', 'educational processes experienced for fostering bicycle culture' and 'planning of public policy' resulting in the category 'urban cycling as sustainable active mobility'. We consider phenomenon bicycling represents the need to value human at scale coexistence in road traffic with potential for political transformation in city planning.

Keywords:
bicycling; physical education; public policy; city planning

RESUMO

O objetivo da pesquisa é de compreender a perspectiva de cicloativistas da Região Sul do Brasil na promoção da bicicultura em seus respectivos territórios. Entrevistamos seis cicloativistas tendo como critérios de inclusão a) ser cicloativista militante; b) ocupação de cargo político e c) desenvolvimento de projetos de cidadania na gestão pública e iniciativa privada. A partir da metodologia Fenomenológica-Hermenêutica, emergiram as unidades de significado “organização do movimento cicloativista”, “processos educativos vivenciados na promoção da bicicultura” e “planejamento da política pública” que resultaram na categoria ‘ciclismo urbano como mobilidade ativa sustentável’. Consideramos que, o fenômeno ciclismo urbano representa a necessidade de valorização da convivência à escala humana no trânsito com potencial de transformação política no planejamento das cidades.

Palavras-chave:
Ciclismo; Educação física; Política pública; Planejamento de cidades

Introduction

The biciculture represent a new expression of Humanism understood in relation with the various forms of mobility, the use of public space with freedom, democracy and conviviality characterized as a social movement of world tendency when emerging in recent years in major cities, seeks to give another meaning urban life dependent on model motorized transport11 Centro Bicicultura [Internet]. ¿Qué es la Bicicultura? [access in ago 8 2019]. Avalilable in: http: www.bicicultura.cl
www.bicicultura.cl...
. Strategic actions for the promotion of biciculture are contextualized in Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development22 United Nations [Internet]. Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. [access in ago 2 2019]. Available in: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1⟪=E
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp...
with the bicycling related 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)33 Europe Cyclists Federation [Internet]. Cycling delivers on the global goals. [access in jun 20 2019]. Available in: www.ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/The%20Global%20Goals_internet.pdf
www.ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/The%20Gl...
, recommendations of the Secretary-General gives United Nations (UN)44 United Nations [Internet]. Mobilizing sustainable transport for development. [access in mai 30 2019]. Available in: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2375Mobilizing%20Sustainable%20Transport.pdf
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/co...
, of the New Urban Agenda (Habitat-III)55 United Nations [Internet]. New Urban Agenda - Habitat III. [access in april 20 2019]. Available in: http://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/NUA-English.pdf
http://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/N...
and the Paris Agreement for climate change mitigation66 United Nations [Internet]. Climate Change. [access in april 20 2019]. Available in: https://unfccc.int/
https://unfccc.int...
. These documents are effective as public policy in cities like Amsterdã - Holand77 Pucher J, Buehler R. City Cycling. Cambridge: MIT Press; 2013. and Copenhagen - Denamark88 Colville-Andersen M. Copenhagenize: the defnitive guide to global bicycle urbanism. Washington: Island Press; 2018. and, in the reality latino-american, we highlight Ciclovía Program, Instituto Distrital de Recreación y Deporte (IDRD), Bogotá, Colombia99 Sarmiento OL, Castillo AD, Triana CA, Acevedo MJ, Gonzalez AS, Pratt M. Reclaiming the streets for people: insights from ciclovias recreativas in Latin America. Prev Med 2010;103(Suppl.):34-40. Doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.07.028
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.07....
.

Despite statistics on traffic accidents in Brazil with approximately 45.000 death/year and 300.000 people with sequels bicyclists being involved in 5% of these incidents1010 Observatório Nacional de Segurança Viária [Internet]. Estatísticas. [access in jun 27 2019]. Available in: http://www.onsv.org.br
http://www.onsv.org.br...
, practice bicycling is the most efficient and safe form of mobility due to travel speed1111 Simonelli L, Nascimento DE, Fernandes V. Cenários da mobilidade e o desafio intermodal. Rev Mun Soc Hum 2018;3(1):1-16. Doi: 10.21575/25254774rmsh2018vol3n1460
https://doi.org/10.21575/25254774rmsh201...
. The inclusion of bicycles in cities is guaranteed by law since the Brazilian Traffic Code1212 Brasil [Internet]. Código de trânsito brasileiro. [access in april 26 2019]. Disponível em: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9503.htm
http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/lei...
, in the National Urban Mobility Policy establishing the guidelines of the federal government, states and municipal1313 Brasil [Internet]. Política nacional de mobilidade urbana. [access in feb 20 2019]. Available in: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2011-2014/2012/Lei/L12587.htm
http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_At...
, at National Health Promotion Policy with active mobility and its effects on public health1414 Brasil [Internet]. Política nacional de promoção da saúde. [access in jan 10 2019]. Available in: http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/politica_nacional_promocao_saude_3ed.pdf
http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoe...
and in the Reference Book for the Preparation of the Urban Mobility Plan with specific rules for the implementation of bicycle path infrastructure1515 Brasil [Internet]. Caderno de referência para elaboração de plano de mobilidade urbana. [access in april 27 2019]. http://www.cidades.gov.br/images/stories/ArquivosSE/planmob.pdf
http://www.cidades.gov.br/images/stories...
.

The programmatic and discursive actuality instituted approval of the Federal Law 13.724 - Bicycle Brazil Program1616 Brasil [Internet]. Programa Bicicleta Brasil. [access in mar 17 2019.]. Disponível em: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2018/Lei/L13724.htm
http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_at...
jointly built by national organizations such as Brazilian Cyclists Union (UCB)1717 Soares AG, Guth D, Amaral JP, Maciel M. A bicicleta no Brasil 2015. São Paulo: União dos Ciclistas do Brasil e Aliança Bike; 2015. and international Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)18 and World Resources Institute (WRI)19 in the articulation policy. We also highlight the study Bicycle Economy in Brazil that demonstrates the complex dimension “productive chain” with tax revenue, job creation, domestic demand and foreign trade, “public policy” in social participation, “transport” concerning domestic and commercial use, “activities ends” of cycleactivist movements, scientific research, bicycle tourism and sporting events and “benefits” to urban environmental health2020 Andrade V & Rodrigues JM. Economia da bicicleta no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: UFRJ e Aliança Bike; 2018..

In order to broaden this discussion in the scientific field of Physical Education, we performed a search with the keyword ciclyng in the database Journal Physical Education (UEM) finding five articles arranged by a biomedical experimental design decontextualized social environment2121 Candotti CT, Delwing GB, La Torre M, Passini M, Noll M, Loss JF. Influência do posicionamento do ciclista na sobrecarga mecânica da coluna cervical, calculada pela técnica da dinâmica inversa. Rev Educ Fís UEM 2012;23(4):585-598. Doi: 10.4025/reveducfis.v23.4.12978
https://doi.org/10.4025/reveducfis.v23.4...

22 Carneiro JG, Bortolotti H, Camata TV, Bigliassi M, Kanthack T, Altimari LR. Efeito da ingestão de cafeína sobre o desempenho físico e estado de humor de ciclistas. Rev Educ Fís UEM 2013;24(2): 279-286. Doi: 10.4025/reveducfis.v24.2.16991
https://doi.org/10.4025/reveducfis.v24.2...

23 Neto LVS, Smirmaul BPC, Pignata BH, Junior OA. Efeito do nadar sobre o desempenho do pedal e corrida no triathlon super-sprint. Rev Educ Fís UEM 2014;25(1):45-51. Doi: 10.4025/reveducfis.v25i1.20332
https://doi.org/10.4025/reveducfis.v25i1...

24 Couto PG, Tomazini F, Silva-Cavalcante MD, Correia-Oliveira CR, Santos RA, Kiss MAPD. Contrarrelógio de ciclismo de média distância: determinação e reprodutibilidade de parâmetros derivados da distribuição de potência. Rev Educ Fís UEM 2015;26(3):443-449. Doi: 10.4025/reveducfis.v26i3.24671
https://doi.org/10.4025/reveducfis.v26i3...
-2525 Moura BM, Moro VL, Rossato M, Lucas RD, Diefenthaeler F. Effects of saddle height on performance and muscular activity during the Wingate test. Rev Educ Fís UEM 2017;28(1):e2838. Doi: 10.4025/reveducfis.v26i2.23244
https://doi.org/10.4025/reveducfis.v26i2...
. As we understand the urban cycling phenomenon as a human right to active mobility2626 Troncoso LDM, Puttini RF, Gonçalves Junior L, Toro-Arévalo SA. Ciclismo urbano como direito humano à mobilidade ativa na cidade de São Paulo. Movimento 2018;24(3):1015-1028. Doi: 10.22456/1982-8918.82908
https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.82908...
, we affirm need for investigations guided by context-sensitive strategies2727 Lacey H, Mariconda PR. O modelo das interaçoes entre as atividades científicas e os valores. Scientiae Studia 2014;12(4):643-68. Doi: 10.1590/S1678-31662014000500002
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-3166201400...
that unveil plurality of meanings political and cultural related to bike use.

The objective this research understand perspective of cycloactivists Southern Brazil in the promotion biciculture in their respective territories. We believe that by exposing the view cycleactivists in promoting biciculture as an institutional policy, we offer favorable subsidies for the understanding urban cycling in Physical Education.

Methods

Participants

The research was structured conceptual categories “the transformative experience of the pedaling being” and “right to ride in the city 28, came from the bike trip Pedaling for Cityzenship2929 Manfiolete LD, Bersi RM. [Internet]. Pedaling for Cityzenship. [access in april 20 2019]. Available in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sudXITFGcE&t=416s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sudXITF...
. In 2016 for two months, 4500 kilometers were covered between the cities of Maringá and Curitiba, state of Paraná, Joinville, Blumenau, Balneário Camboriú and Florianópolis, state of Santa Catarina, Porto Alegre and Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), Montevidéu (Uruguay), Buenos Aires, La Plata and Mendonza (Argentina) and Santiago (Chile) to participate in“V World Bike Forum: Human Energy, Citizen Power”. In carrying out this educational process, the semi-structured interview technique was used3030 Denzin NK. Critical Qualitative Inquiry. Qualitative Inquiry 2017;23(1):8-16. Doi: 10.1177/1077800416681864
https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800416681864...
when interviewing 30 cycleactivists six people were selected according to representativeness from the following criteria: a) to be militant cycleactivist; b) political office and c) development of citizenship projects in public management and private initiative: 1) Goura Nataraj, Master in Philosophy, Federal University of Paraná, State Deputy of Paraná for the Trabalhista Democratic Party (PDT); 2) Marcelo Sgarbossa, Doctor of Law, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Councilman in the city of Porto Alegre by Trabalhadores Party (PT); 3) André Geraldo Soares, Master in Political Sociology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, President of the Brazilian Cyclists Union; 4) Felipe Fossati Reichert, Doctor in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Professor at Pelotas Higher School of Physical Education; 5) Milton Carlos Della Giustina, was athlete and coach of the Brazilian Cycling Team, owner of Della Bikes in the city of Florianópolis and 6) Ana Destri, Physical Education teacher in Florianópolis.

Procedures

We adopt qualitative approach phenomenological-hermeneutics referring to existential description “pedaling for cityzenship”3131 Henry M. Fenomenología de la vida. Buenos Aires: Prometeo Libros; 2010.,3232 Van Mannen M. Fenomenología de la práctica. Métodos de donación de sentido en la investigación y la escritura fenomenológica. Popayan: Universidad de Cauca; 2016.. We employ analysis of the situated phenomenon constituted by ideographic analysis by making visible the ideology of subjects through phenomenological reduction by attitude, disposition and suspension of beliefs organized in a convergence framework grouped speeches for formulation meaning units and nomothetic analysis in forming a matrix composed of individual analyzes identified by generalities, comparison and imaginative variation emerging the relational phenomenon3333 Bicudo MAV. Pesquisa qualitativa segundo a visão fenomenológica. São Paulo: Cortez; 2011.. The subjects signed the Informed Consent Form agreeing with research procedures and breaking anonymity. The project is registered in Plataforma Brasil, receipt 029413/2015, record CAAE: 43889115.1.0000.5465, seem 1.202.636, Research Ethics Committee, Rio Claro Biosciences Institute, Paulista State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (IBRC-UNESP)3434 Brasil [Internet]. Resolução n. 466, de 12 de dezembro de 2012. [access in mai 19 2019]. Available in: http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/saudelegis/cns/2013/res0466_12_12_2012.html
http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/saudelegis...
.

Resultados

In the analytical process, the existential description “pedaling for cityzenship” is related to promotion of biciculture as an institutional policy strategy in city planning situated the world-life of respondents. According Edmund Husserl's, the world-life concept (Lebenswelt) groups the set of lived experiences by the researcher methodological assumptions with ethical implications in shared intersubjectivity with other subjects3535 Husserl E. La idea de la fenomenologia. Barcelona: Herder; 2012.. Based on the phenomenological reduction, speeches constituted by 45 ideographic convergences were found, expressed in three meaning units: a) The cycling activist movement organization; b) Educational processes experienced for fostering bicycle culture; c) Public policy planning. After elaborating the nomothetic matrix, the analytical category referred to as 'urban cycling as sustainable active mobility' was generated.

Discussion

The cycling activist movement organization

Regarding this meaning unit, André Soares describes his work with the Brazilian Cyclists Union established since 2007 as an entity representative of the urban cyclists:

The Brazilian Cyclists Union which plays a unifying role in the Brazilian bicycling activism movement, aims at creating a network of local organizations to democratically construct national decision-making by including horizontal participation, with the challenge of establishing a culture of doing cycling activism that escapes from corruption and self-interest pitfalls and, at the same time, dialoguing in equal political conditions with other social sectors to transform society, that is, not only bikes are wanted, but also riding with safety, comfort, joy and lightness in the soul, which enable people to live without restrictions for exercising the dominion of others.

The Brazilian Cyclists Union arises to establish a political agenda at a federal level with coverage in 24 states and the Federal District with the purpose of fostering the use of bicycles in the Brazilian territory and, since it represents the community of cycling mobility in the legal constitution, it provides information associated with the respective government administrative spheres.

Goura Narataj tells us about his involvement with the bicycling activism movement in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, since 2005 which organized the first Critical Mass in 2005. From September, 2007 on, the bicycle month was established.. In 2011, the Bicicletaria Cultural is conceived by the Association of Cyclists of Alto Iguaçu (CICLOIGUAÇU)3636 Associação dos Ciclistas Urbanos do Alto Iguaçu [Internet]. Associaçao para o desenvolvimento de políticas de ciclomobilidade. [access in jan 14 2019]. Available in: https://cicloiguacu.org.br/
https://cicloiguacu.org.br...
; this entity organized the ‘Third World Bicycle Forum: the city in balance’ in 2014, and Cyclist Pocket Square in 20153737 Santana DT, Rechia S, Rodrigues EAPC. As brechas da cidade: a Praça de Bolso do Ciclista da cidade de Curitiba, Paraná. Movimento 2017;23(1):311-324. Doi: 10.22456/1982-8918.66384
https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.66384...
:

Most of the managers and technicians involved in mobility and transport do not use public transport; they neither cycle nor walk daily in the city, which generates a distance from the real problems in the traffic of people. Accessibility has been starting to be thought as a national theme that, when opening up in an institutional way, people’s cycle activist role is to create conditions for citizen participation by making the user argue with the public power to the point of feeling part of this learning process. On the other hand, there is resistance from the civil society to find channels for dialogue, which demands dedication and persistence in attending several meetings with few effective results, but there is no other way to advance awareness.

The importance cycle activist representation is demonstrated by creating dialogue channels formal to enforce current regulatory compliance, because managers who have little experience with the bike, only think of their rationality as drivers interpretation of the laws and application of public resources following common sense boosted by lobby auto industry.

For Marcelo Sgarbossa, your work in the collective “Cidade mais Humana”3838 Coletivo Cidade mais Humana [Internet]. Gabinete do Vereador Marcelo Sgarbossa. [access in feb 12 2019]. Disponível em: https://www.cidademaishumana.com.br/site/
https://www.cidademaishumana.com.br/site...
, reinforces the need for institutional representation:

There is no debate resulting from deliberative democracy according to which people vote with conviction. The rule is: who is Marcelo? An opposition councilor. Well, we in the government have the majority and do not approve it for being a project of the opposite party. We propose you to vote for the project named 'Streets of Conviviality', according to which if two thirds of the residents of a neighborhood street made an order, the place would be closed on Sundays and holidays and the access for the vehicles would be controlled by the residents themselves. However, it was rejected without justification. It is the reflection of the institutionalism; people struggle and realize they walk very little. In 2010 the bicycle activist movement began; in 2011 the critical mass was trampled down with images running the world; the World Bike Forum was performed in 2012 and 2013, as well as the performance of actions in a humorous way as the free parking space, naked pedaling, parties, protests, city of the bicycle. Thus, the energy of a large group of people resulted in only twenty-five miles of cycle lanes, no educational campaign. Was that good or bad? It was good, but it could have made more difference. That is why I am attempting, with the mandate so-called ‘A More Human City’, to pass bills under this perspective. Being in the institutionalism is a learning process, but on the other hand, several bicycle activists deny it, as if in the end it would not decide the things.

Milton Della Giustina claims to be the risk of accidents, the main inhibiting factor for new fans of urban cycling:

Because of sport, I saw another horizon in my life. I had competed in 23 countries and after that, I wanted to give something in return for cycling. So, we opened the bike shop with support from the old Caloi, which had nothing to do with the current one [...]. The use of the bicycle grew in the city of Florianópolis and, with the association of bicycle riders so-called ViaCiclo, we showed the possibility of living with cars. As an example, in SC-401 road, some accidents occur where there is a roadside and a cycle lane because of drunk drivers who generally refuse to take the breathalyzer and blood tests. I’ll tell you: what justice is there in Brazil? For example, I have a friend who has had a serious accident with multiple fractures; he passed a month in coma in hospital, and another six months of recovery taking medicines that provoked lethargy, apparently without sequels; he only started cycling again because he was well conditioned. I’ll ask: how much is the cost of it for the country? A sick person without choosing to be in this condition, injured by a drunk person who caused a burden to the public health system with accidents that could be avoided; who should pay for that? Why do we have to pay for the health care that is a consequence of accidents caused by drunk drivers?

We found the necessity cycle activist movement is congregating associations between the municipal, state and federal levels in order to establish political articulations for viable legal claims, for example, greater emphasis on road safety enforcement regarding risk factors travel speed and physiological condition of drivers. On the other hand, a real possibility of awareness is in trying the bike as an educational process in driver training to achieve internalization of the rules of conduct in traffic respect for the subjects of active mobility.

Educational processes experienced for fostering bicycle culture

Considering this meaning unit, Felipe Reichert reports his experience with the discipline Ciclyng in the curriculum of Physical Education course:

First, when 30% of the discipline workload has been achieved, I hold a critical debate on urban mobility. This year I will try to bring someone from the city hall, probably the deputy mayor to show the difficulties of implementing cycling infrastructure actions. We always come to the conclusion that the pseudo-stimulus of the public power to encourage the use of bicycles ends in cooling down spirits between cyclists and drivers. There was a case shown in the newspapers from the city of Pelotas about a driver who parked his car in the cycle lane and a cyclist, when traveling by the area, was annoyed with the situation, so they began to argue and fought. Several times the radical bicycle activists see the cycle lane and believe they are in Europe. Some students report stories that happen around the city and, as they have been cycling for more than 20 years, they have to escape safely from possible accidents every day. Drivers are wrong, but there is no use in fighting. Secondly, I work on the sporting modalities of road cycling and mountain biking in places with or without cycle paths, in addition to riding to a natural park encompassing 30 kilometers of round trip with the aim of implementing trips to the rural area; but it is difficult to take fifteen people who do not ride.

Despite the curricular progress in the creation of the course, Felipe Reichert adopts a conservative stance on the Brazilian reality, however, we believe a possible way out problematize from the regular experience with students group at the share traffic with motorized transport to optimize safety teachings around possible problems that urban cyclists face daily.

For Ana Destri, project creator ‘Bicycling at School’, although there are successful examples of public policy in other countries, for example, Al Colegio em Bici Program of the Central District of Bogotá, Colombia3939 Alcadía Mayor de Bogotá [Internet]. Guía para la elaboración del Plan de Movilidad Escolar. [access in 15 feb 2019]. Available in: https://www.educacionbogota.edu.co/portal_institucional/inicio
https://www.educacionbogota.edu.co/porta...
, she coexists among the positive official speech, but actually operates in contradictory ways:

Every time I arrived at school riding a bicycle, the kids asked me: Do you live too far away? Is it not dangerous? After so much questioning, I thought, I work with physical education; so we began to discuss and some needs emerged; the one that called my attention was that the kids had bicycles, but they did not use them to come riding due to basic mechanic motives. We expanded the discussion because it is very simple to look at the bicycle just as the thing that takes and brings people, because they study and live on a hill; they often had to cycle on the sidewalk, but in several places there was no sidewalk. I thought what selfishness is talking about bicycles when there are poor conditions to ride to school. At the beginning of the project in 2014, the goal was to make the project available during the directors' training meetings, as well as in the city hall newspaper and fan page in order to guide children on how to use the bicycle as a vehicle. We mapped the public schools in Florianópolis with the focus on those with a greater number of cyclist children by calling the principals and scheduling visits, but several of them were not paying much attention due to the idea of irresponsibility in instructing cyclist students with bicycles on the streets and, after several negative answers, I called the education secretary to ask for a hearing, who promptly gave us the reason by placing bike racks in schools with the aim of finding the best solution of use. However, it was still not easy, I even asked for the reinforcement from a bike angel who was 69 years old and used to do AUDAX, in addition to not having any history of serious accidents to show the real possibility in cycling with safety. In 2015, we began to systematize the proposal with two or three classes and, however, there was short time to address all the content proposed and still go out in groups cycling around the city; thus, as a teacher, I structured the proposal and passed on the information to my colleagues. We have been working with students in the fourth and fifth year at the school that had given us a first ‘no’ as an answer; in only five meetings they have already acquired some knowledge; now we have to sharpen the critical sense of those who have not been able to ride a bicycle.

Felipe Reichert seeks to instruct his students from a preventive approach to accidents by sharing experiences about situations experienced in the traffic:

When I was structuring the discipline, I thought of the need to approach a specific class on accident prevention, because when witnessing daily near-accidents, I tried to describe the situation. I had a discussion with a bicycle activist who was part of a cycling group and whose arguments I did not agree with; he wanted to impose himself by asking me how long I had been pedaling. As a road cyclist, I have been cycling for a long time, so I can get close to the students who use the bike in daily life with useful information for them, such as being riding a bike on the right and the driver approaches close to them, for example; the case of a driver that hit the cyclist, the student fell and broke the clavicle. So, there is no use in cursing, not even disputing the space; that is why it is important to be attentive to eye contact to take care of the other's behavior in traffic for their own safety.

Marcelo Sgarbossa reports on his work experience with regard elaboration of a driver training program content at the Traffic Department of Rio Grande do Sul (DETRAN-RS):

The issue is how to raise awareness. We were involved in a working group of DETRAN-RS in the elaboration of the program content for the driver training courses. An example: the guy is giving a lesson on cycling in traffic and, depending on how he/she explains the content, if the instructor has ever ridden a bicycle, he/she can report a near-accident history and also organize a cycling ride with the class; this is another vibration to advance the theme, that is, the future driver has to experience the condition in being a cyclist to learn the Article 201 of the Brazilian Traffic Code related to the obligation to transit 1.5 meters of lateral distance from the bicycles, given the greater proximity to this social phenomenon with potential to change the traffic culture. In countries such as Poland, there is a course for cyclists who need theoretical and practical tests, in the end they are given an authorization to be able to ride a bicycle without having to go with the person in charge. I even think this is a tendency, taking into account that the number of cyclists in conflict situations will increase in the next years, which presupposes to give basic demonstration on the use of the bicycle.

The expression near misses is conditioned to factors like road signs, the relational position between driver-cyclist sensitization generator exchanging glances during an intersection, the routine presence in the streets of the responsible authorities for regulatory oversight and effective network deployment of bicycle path infrastructure, however, for what these cool aspects are met in full, there must be a political will colective translated into strategic actions with bicycling from the educational institutions passing through families until you reach the government in order to provide a diversity of processes teaching-learning for the coexistence between the traffic entities.

Public policy planning

Regarding this meaning unit, André Soares indicates a possible way to value the interdisciplinary and intersectoral dialogue in a divergent scenario:

Urban mobility is a cultural component aimed at understanding the bicycle as a tool for interdisciplinary and theoretical methodological epistemological intervention with dialogues between the organized civil society, the public power and private initiative for projects of political transformation, being aware of the existence of antagonistic forces that domain the perpetuation of their interests, be the oil corporations, the automobile industry or the big contractors. We are talking about a confrontation, that is, the Brazilian cities were built for the automobile in the last 60 years and the biggest victims are the pedestrians, cyclists, the elderly and children. We must think of the new discourse: the city on the human scale with the priority in collective transportation so that the subject has the possibility of living close to his work place and can travel in an active way. It is an illusion to propose an alternative without creating resistances, so it is important to make the image of urban cyclist citizen feasible. The confrontation is at the level of concepts to influence how one thinks of the road space in public policies, not necessarily among drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Based on his work at the Traffic Department and the City Council of Curitiba, Goura Nataraj believes that technicians involved in urban planning should visit other places and learn about successful experiences in order to raise awareness of the mentality change in what refers to the public space organization:

I have always taken a protest position and, based on this will, I try to do something within the public power, because there is a whole technical body of the State formed by traffic engineers and urbanists who, for decades, have only thought about the automobile and its road fluidity and, at the same time, it is these same people who are changing their perception. For example, an individual from the Secretariat of Traffic who was responsible for the lights installation went to Europe on holiday and came back from Amsterdam stating that cycling is possible, viable and legal. Since these subjects are technicians, the management can change, but they will remain in their position. We have to be in the places of the decision process, because otherwise, important decisions are made by us and we do not have the power for having a more active voice.

Marcelo Sgarbossa exemplifies how the application of technical rationality in laws that benefit the subject of sustainable active mobility, generates contradictions and setbacks. In addition, the current urban planning privileges fast and productive bodies, and even the time of the traffic lights is characterized as a form of artificial control of human displacement:

We are experiencing a moment of criminalization of politics. At least I understand that there is not an effective debate; only the discursive game about whom the author and the beneficiaries are with the approval of the proposal. As an example, we proposed a law that guaranteed the minimum time for crossing of the pedestrians, and it was carelessly approved by other councilors who thought it to be simple, but that changed all the logic in order to prioritize the pedestrian. The Brazilian Public Transportation and Traffic Company so-called Empresa Pública de Trasnporte e Circulação (EPTC) decided to take the test on April 29, 2014. However, the city stopped at the intersections, which I called 'technocratic revenge'. Instead of giving the pedestrian more time with the increase of synchronized signal cycles, that is green light, the driver’s green time was directly transferred to the pedestrian, and, thus, the cars started and the traffic lights were already closed. The test started at 6:00 in the morning; at 9:00 a.m. the city was stuck and at 10:00 a.m. the mayor stopped the test. Moreover, of course, guilt was blamed on our mandate that, on the contrary, had proposed the synchronized enlargement of the traffic light cycle. This shows how much a proposal inspired in an international scale based on the adult man with 1.2 m/s of walking speed does not work. The elderly has a speed of 0.7m/s. This shows that the calculation is always based on the adult man, that is, a clue that shows how the city is programmed for the fastest individuals.

Milton Della Giustina refers to the corporeality of the worker who rides a bicycle daily to go to construction works. He is the most prepared person to give an opinion on details regarding the design of the public highway, much due to the feeling of the neglect of the urban planning carried out by specialist engineer drivers who, by following the projects they commissioned, do not care about other forms of human displacement:

If we let the foremen plan rock fills, they would be better than the those planned by the engineers, since the foremen constantly ride a bicycle and realize that in the oblique exits at the level of the track without finishing, the cyclists can be knocked down, and this is worse in rainy days. Moreover, with the common bicycles the workers use, jumping such a gap becomes a real risk, which often makes the person hit and skid. I have a son who is an engineer and an ex-cyclist; he has always talked to the foremen and pedestrians, which led him to acquire practical knowledge on engineering, and where did he learn this? Inside sport! The engineer wants to be above everyone without consulting anyone, so before starting the work, he/she should inquire about the actors of the track, not only the drivers with their automobiles, but the person who rides a horse-drawn wagon, the pedestrian, the cyclist and the driver, because when the person has to go through these intersections, it becomes a structural inability of the technician responsible not to have taken this factor into account.

It is evident current planning of cities, the materialization of transportation system that disregards carefully designing for people who are exposed the real risk of accident due to the collective conduct of the drivers little responsible, including by those who drive attentive to mobile with consequent significant decrease of reaction capacity possible unforeseen, what justifies thinking from a complex rationality through dialogical relations among the institutions organizing social life as active promoters of biciculture.

Final Considerations

Concerning the analytical category so-called “urban cycling as sustainable active mobility” riding a bicycle on public roads, a characteristic of Physical Education related to the intentionality of the urban cyclist subject. However, due to corporal, environmental and symbolic limitations in the organization of the public space, fostering the bicycle culture has been little valued in the institutional policy planning of the cities.

Regarding the meaning unit named “the cycling activism movement organization”, the constitution of a political representation is the purpose to discuss strategic actions for peaceful coexistence in the traffic based on the human scale, the citizen participation of cycle activists legitimizes the argument of cycling as a form equipment favorable to the public management. Considering the meaning unit known as “educational processes experienced for fostering bicycle culture”, the priority to establish a critical debate on the current situation of urban mobility in Brazilian public institutions was highlighted; the following conceptual aspects should be considered: 1) permanent conflict among cyclists and drivers; 2) implantation of cycling infrastructure for outskirts-city center connection; 3) proposal for educational training for bicycles in educational institutions; 4) importance of eye contact as preventive care for traffic behavior; 5) formulation of strategies to raise awareness in driver training; 6) possibility of the driver experience the condition of being an urban cyclist in the existential learning aiming at the full and satisfactory fulfillment norms; (7) intensification of the speed control of motorized transport which is life-threatening by the competent authorities. With regard meaning unit so-called “public policy planning”, the sustainable active mobility by bicycle should be seen cultural component, as well interdisciplinary and intersectorial intervention tool for the transformation of the political mentality.

Therefore, we believe that the methodological option ecological cognition of cognitive processes embodied, embedded, extended and enactive4040 Newen A, De Bruin L, Gallagher S. The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition. Oxford: University Press; 2018. for understanding bicycling, expresses the existential description pedaling for citizenship a way of being-together with the conscious other, due to biciculture be a social practice promoter of movement culture of fundamental interest for the area of knowledge Physical Education.

Agradecimentos

À Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pesquisa em Ensino Superior (CAPES).

References

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    02 Aug 2021
  • Date of issue
    2019

History

  • Received
    02 Mar 2019
  • Reviewed
    17 July 2019
  • Accepted
    27 July 2019
Universidade Estadual de Maringá Avenida Colombo, 5790 - cep: 87020-900 - tel: 44 3011 4315 - Maringá - PR - Brazil
E-mail: revdef@uem.br