Cycling as work: mobility and informality in Indian cities

Abstract

Set against the marginalization of cycling in Kolkata and Delhi, this article shows how cargo-cyclists and cycle rickshaw pullers make productive contributions to urban economies and negotiate constraints to their mobility in Indian cities. As cheap vehicles, bicycles and cycle rickshaws not only provide opportunities for social and economic mobility, but also contribute to, generate, and sustain vital urban economies. Cycle workers ensure the smooth transportation of goods, people, and services in Indian cities. Situating cycle work at the crossroads of anthropology and urban planning, this article demonstrates how the interdependence of urban economies, regulation of space, and constraints to everyday mobility advances knowledge on contemporary Indian cities. Instead of seeing these spheres as separate strands of investigation and analysis, we suggest that cycling as work draws them together.