Contesting Automobile Culture: The Case of the “Vélorution” in a French Semi-Rural Area

Environmental activists are adopting different postures in regard to public action. The literature identifies these as ranging from civil disobedience to counter-expertise strategies. In France, the 1970’s anti-nuclear activists argued that ecology must be a social movement (Ollitrault, 2008). Since 1980, counter-expertise has brought some environmentalists to collaborate with local authorities. These now have access to political decision. In parallel, a new form of militancy, insensitive to pyramidal organization and mistrusting political discourses, has emerged (Inglehart, 1977). These new forms help the renewal of collective action (Tarrow, 1989).

My doctoral research focuses on a local mobilization, found in periurban, semi-rural France. This mobilization fits these new forms of militancy. It deals with an environmental organization, which struggles for the development of the bicycle, as a daily transport mode. The data is provided from an ethnographic study within this organization, through interviews with activists, local elected authorities and participative observation. The case studied is specific for two reasons. First, periurban areas are frequently associated with the Nimby phenomenon (Davis, 2006), but this mobilization shows another relationship with politics. Second, low density areas are associated with private cars. Therefore, the activist’s claims may not be legitimate not only for members of local government but also for public opinion.

On the basis of this case study, I'll present a horizontal mode of organization and its forms of protest. Activists studied use the neologism “Vélorution”, from “vélo” (bicycle) and “révolution” (revolution) to define the way they protest i.e. with demonstrations on bicycles. For some of them, the challenge is to start the debate on bicycle transportation within public space. But others would like to increase awareness and change society by encouraging eco-friendly attitudes.

Exploring periurban contexts helps us understand the activists’ choice of a festive but also dissenting strategy to counteract the automobile culture.