Report WP2.3 SENCyclo: Ride-along interviews with cyclists in and around Montreuil. Part A: Thick description

Résumé 0

The present report is constituted of thick descriptions of ride-along interviews with daily cyclists in the Eastern periphery of Paris.The case study of Montreuil was selected for the cycling ride-along interviews of the project. This choice meant that there were fewer constraints on the times at which the ride-along could be conducted, making it easier to recruit respondents. I recruited my participants by regularly taking part over several months in events organised locally by a bike repair workshop, via local associations promoting utilitarian cycling in Montreuil and Fontenay, and by word of mouth. The participants were recruited with an attention to intersectionality (gender, class, race, age).Of the 13 daily cyclists with whom I made a preparatory interview (Table 2), I was able to carry out ride-along interviews with 9 of them, for a total of 14 trips observed. After each ride-along interview, using the audio recordings of our discussion and the sonor environment around us, the video recording from my handlebars and my observations, I wrote a thick description that includes the exact transcription of our discussions (interpretations) and the description of their spatial practices and experiences in situ. This includes environmental perception (safety, accessibility and dis/pleasure), spatial practices (route choices, awareness and engagement qualities) and local social landscape (complex web of connections between people).