ABSTRACT
The sharp rise of motorization in the Netherlands in the 1960s created the same problems as it had elsewhere in the industrialized West. But a stillsizeable bicycle culture meant that combatting the negative effects of automobility played out differently in the Netherlands. Many policymakers still considered cycling a practical and typically Dutch mode of transport around 1970. Activists then added the claims that promoting cycling was a way to address pollution issues and the scarcity of (urban) space. What is more, the staggering numbers of fatal road accidents, particularly among cyclists and children, stirred widely shared outrage and protest. Consequently, cycling became a political priority in the mid-1970s. The facilitation of suburban commuter cycling, moped riding, and recreational cycling promotion were already policy goals, and now urban cycling joined the list of priorities.
