Stephen Rees's blog

World Transport Policy & Practice
Volume 13. Number 3. December 2007 (link goes to download a large pdf file)

Abstract

At the Frontiers of Cycling: Policy Innovations in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany

John Pucher and Ralph Buehler

This article presents six detailed case studies of cycling in the Netherlands (Amsterdam
and Groningen), Denmark (Copenhagen and Odense), and Germany (Berlin and
Muenster). Except for Berlin, they represent the very best in coordinated policies and
programs to make cycling safe, convenient, and attractive. Not only are cycling levels
extraordinarily high in these cities, but virtually everyone cycles: women as well as men,
the old and the young, the rich and the poor. Moreover, they cycle for a wide range of
daily, practical trips purposes and not mainly for recreation. Berlin is a special case. It does
not even approach the five other cities in their cycling orientation. Nevertheless, its recent
measures to encourage cycling have achieved an impressive bike share of trips for such a
large city, higher than any other European city of that size. Thus, all six of the bicycling
case study cities examined in this article truly are at the frontiers of cycling. They have
many lessons to offer other cities in the Western World about the best ways to encourage
more cycling.