ABSTRACT
Train passengers take for granted the use of additional transportation to and from the station. Chain mobility is always needed. The first cyclists often took their bikes as luggage for their vacation trips. There were no guarded bicycle parking facilities. Vacation travelers would continue to take their bicycles en masse by train in the summer until late in the 1960s. Daily travelers soon discovered the useful combination of bicycle and train in commuting and wanted guarded storage for their expensive bicycles. Historical research shows that cycling organizations played a major role in improvements for parking and renting bicycles at stations and for bicycle transport. They stimulated the NS to innovate because of changing traveler preferences or because the railroad company was slackening its focus on chain mobility because of business considerations. The ultimate success: the package of agreements Action Plan for bicycle parking with “first 24 hours of free guarded parking” at its core.
