ABSTRACT
Motorization everywhere meant that cycling's share of everyday trips declined precipitously in the 1950s and 1960s. This decline occurred in the Netherlands as well, but to a much lesser extent. A sizeable cycling culture remained, and by the late 1960s, far from having virtually disappeared, cycling was still a part of Dutch everyday life – whether for commuting, getting around town, or recreation. Multiple factors explain this. Many commuting distances remained cyclable, sometimes in combination with public transit. Cycling was also more compatible with driving in the Netherlands: partly because traffic separation enabled safe cycling outside cities, partly because late automobilization made cycling a necessary and still viable urban mode, although increasingly beleaguered. Finally, the cultural framing of cycling developed before 1950 showed its staying power, so that cycling did not develop the same stigma as elsewhere. Politically, engineers across the world increasingly ignored cycling while they were grappling with or actively promoting automobilization.
