White line fever: a sociotechnical perspective on the contested implementation of an urban bike lane network

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the introduction of the Launceston Bike Network, a local government project progressed in Tasmania, Australia. The project’s implementation became subject to intense community conflict, or what we refer to here as white line fever because it arose in relation to the white traffic lines used to mark the on-road bike lanes. Our analysis of textual data gathered from relevant documents and interviews with key stakeholders relies on the development of a sociotechnical perspective.Adopting this perspective allows us to recognise the various agencies emerging collectively from the technical and social aspects and interactions analysed. The findings add to how cycling and infrastructure might be reconceptualised as an urban sociotechnical system, and assist in its transition towards the transport mainstream through policy and planning.