ABOUT THIS BOOK
In an effort to fight climate change, many cities try to boost their cycling levels. They often look towards the Dutch for guidance. However, historians have only begun to uncover how and why the Netherlands became the premier cycling country of the world. Why were Dutch cyclists so successful in their fight for a place on the road? Cycling Pathways explores the long political struggle that culminated in today’s high cycling levels. Delving into the archives, it uncovers the important role of social movements and shows in detail how these interacted with national, provincial, and urban engineers and policymakers to govern the distribution of road space and construction of cycling infrastructure. It discusses a wide range of topics, ranging from activists to engineering committees, from urban commuters to recreational cyclists and from the early 1900s to today in order to uncover the long and all-but-forgotten history of Dutch cycling governance.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Henk-Jan Dekker is a historian who received his PhD in 2021 from Eindhoven University of Technology. His research interests include the history of cycling policies in relation to culture, governance, and social movements, and the history of technology.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction Introducing the Governance of Cycling Taking Stock of Cycling History Locating Cycling Governance: Sources and Methods PART 1—ROOTS: HOW COMMUTER AND RECREATIONAL CYCLING BECAME A DUTCH PUBLIC GOOD, 1880s-1940s Chapter 1 Citizen Power: from Bourgeois Clubs to Governance Groundbreakers 1.1 Dutch Cycling Clubs’ Unique Position in an International Context 1.2 Citizens Building Recreational Cycling Paths 1.3 Advocating Cycling as Part of Car-Centric Planning 1.4 Conclusion Chapter 2 A Contested Compromise: National Government Supports Commuter Cycling 2.1 Justifying Road Funding & the Bicycle Tax 2.2 Representing Citizens & the Polder Model for Roadbuilding 2.3 Is Cycling Infrastructure a Public Good? 2.4 Making Cycling Infrastructure the Default Norm 2.5 Governing Cycling Publicly or Privately? 2.6 Conclusion Conclusion Part 1 PART II—DIVERGENCE: HOW DUTCH CYCLING POLICY AND PRACTICE PERSEVERED, 1950s-1970s Chapter 3 Popular or Outdated? National Policymakers’ Ambivalence about Bicycles 3.1 Dutch Cycling’s Staying Power in an International Perspective 3.2 Ambiguities and Continuities 3.3 ANWB Expands Role as Expert Organization 3.4 Conclusion Chapter 4 An Accident of History: How Mopeds Boosted Dutch Cycling Infrastructure 4.1 Mopeds Widening Citizens’ Action Radius 4.2 Framing Mopeds and Cycling Paths 4.3 How Mopeds Boosted Cycling Path Construction 4.4 Sharing the Cycling Path 4.5 Conclusion Chapter 5 A Right to Recreation: Provincial Policymakers Design Cycling Networks 5.1 Recreational Cycling Governance in the 1940s 5.2 Pioneering Provincial Cycling Governance in Drenthe and Zuid-Holland 5.3 1960s National Subsidies for Recreational Cycling 5.4 Conclusion Conclusion Part II PART III—DUTCH MODEL: HOW URBAN CYCLING BECAME A NATIONAL POLITICAL DEMAND AFTER 1970 Chapter 6 Citizen Expertise: Urban Activism Shapes Local Cycling Policy in the 1970s 6.1 Early Cycling Activism: Goals and Methods, 1965-1975 6.2 User Expertise and Cycling Infrastructure: Cyclists’ Union Activism, 1975-1985 6.3 Working with the Government: Activists and Cycling Governance 6.4 Conclusion Chapter 7 Catching Up: The State Acknowledges Urban Cycling as Public Good, 1975-1990 7.1 Expanding National Cycling Governance, 1975-1985 7.2 Frictions and Distrust: Struggles of Multi-Level Cycling Governance 7.3 Governing the Redistribution of Urban Road Space 7.4 Decentralizing Cycling Governance (Once Again), 1985-1990 7.5 Conclusion Chapter 8 Self-Evident: Mainstreaming Cycling Policy and Practice since 1990 8.1 National Government Settles on Expert Role 8.2 Provinces and Municipalities Double Down 8.3 Cyclists’ Union Professionalizes Further 8.4 Conclusion Conclusion Part III Conclusion Explaining Dutch Cycling Success Making the Case for Cycling Infrastructure Turning Beliefs into Infrastructure Contributions, Limitations, and Further Research. Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Bibliography Archival Sources Interviews Newspaper and Journal Articles Published Documentation of Government and Action Groups Scholarly Publications List of Abbreviations List of Tables List of Figures