Citation

Dekker HJ. J. Transp. Hist. 2021; 42(3): 420-443.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/00225266211011935

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article argues that mopeds played an ambivalent but ultimately positive role in the long-term success of Dutch cycling. Unlike in many other countries, Dutch cycling levels dropped but remained significant throughout the 1950s and 1960s, partly because cycling infrastructure continued to be constructed. One underexplored factor explaining this is the role of mopeds in the 1950s. The Netherlands constructed a significant network of cycle paths before the 1950s. When mopeds became popular, the existence of this network raised the question of where they should ride. Engineers and politicians classified mopeds as bicycles, assigning them to the cycle path. As a result, engineers decided to build more and wider cycle paths. Despite the danger and discomfort of sharing cycling paths, cyclists therefore also benefited in the long run from the decision to reframe cycle paths as cycle-and-moped paths.

Language: en

Keywords

bicycles; Cycling infrastructure; mopeds; path dependency; the Netherlands