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

Abstract

This article presents six detailed case studies of bicycling in Amsterdam and Groningen (The Netherlands), Copenhagen and Odense (Denmark), and Berlin and Muenster (Germany). The authors maintain that, except for Berlin, these cities represent the very best in coordinated policies and programs to make bicycling safe, convenient, and attractive. By examining cities of varying sizes, they demonstrate that bicycling can be a practical, safe, and convenient way to travel. The focus in each case study is on the wide range of integrated, mutually supporting policies and programs that are used to promote bicycling. Specific topics include bicycling safety, the provision of cycling facilities, bicycle parking and coordination with public transportation, restrictions on automobile use, theft prevention, promotion efforts, travel trends, and overall policy goals. The authors stress that not only are bicycling 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. In addition, they cycle for a wide range of daily, practical trips and not mainly for recreation. Although Berlin does not even begin to approach the five other cities in their cycling orientation, it has implemented recent measures to encourage cycling and has achieved an impressive bike share of trips for such a large city. The authors present these six case study cities as models to encourage other cities in the developed world to foster more bicycling. Full-color photographs illustrate aspects of each of the cities' support of bicycling.

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