The non-looks of the mobile world: a video-based study of interactional adaptation in cycle-lanes

ABSTRACT

This empirical study uses video data to examine interactional adaptation between cyclists and pedestrians in a relatively new cycle-lane. Existing research on intersections shows order is achieved through the frequent use of a look-recognition-acknowledgement sequence. Whereas this is found in the cycle-lane interactions, there is also an important divergent technique which on the surface seems less cooperative. Others are made to cede space based on ‘doing and being oblivious’, in short, forms of non-looking force others to take evasive action and subtly alter their line of travel. Here the dynamic nature of this obliviousness is shown through empirical examples. Even though it is not always easy to distinguish between the two forms of non-looking, it is concluded that ‘doing oblivious’, whilst possibly annoying for others, is most probably harmless, but there are good reasons to be more concerned about ‘being oblivious’, for it may lead to collisions between pedestrians and cyclists. Aspects of non-looking provide an important addition to knowledge of the mobile world, suggesting we renew attention to specific sites where people concert their movements in minutely detailed ways.

KEYWORDS:

• Cycle-lanes
• cyclist-pedestrian interaction
• looking
• space
• ethnomethodology

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the anonymous reviewers for useful comments on earlier versions of this article. Also thanks to Max Baddeley, Annemarie Jutel, and Dylan Taylor for discussion and encouragement along the way.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The most relevant non-ethnomethdological work on cycling-pedestrian interaction that uses video data is Brown (2012), Delaney (2016), Latham and Wood (2015), and Simpson (2017). However, much like Spinney (2008), all this work has a geographic emphasis on space/infrastructure and does not go into the fine detail of situated interaction in cycle-lanes.

2. Along with proponents keen to see the cycling infrastructure built, there was significant opposition to the plan (see White 2017). Consistent with international experience, opposition from some local residents and business owners developed into a full scale case of ‘bikelash’ (Wild et al. 2017). Ultimately, the city council was forced to re-consult residents and interested others, agreeing to rebuild the infrastructure, just over a year after its completion. At the time of writing, rebuilding has not yet begun.

3. Even though the author is the cyclist, henceforth second person pronouns – he, the cyclist – are used in the description. This seems more consistent with the aim of showing how the conditional relevance of actions are a general property of social organisation.