Blind spots and misguided optimism in cycling policies and policy-oriented bicycle research

Description

Presentation Paper

Abstract:
Governments all over the Western world have introduced policies to promote cycling in daily transport. Social-scientific and traffic planning studies have addressed the development and facilitation of bicycle use. However, there seems to be no clear correlation between the policies implemented and the actual share of cycling in traffic in various countries. Similar policy measures have in fact produced widely different, either positive or disappointing, outcomes. To explain this divergence, this article questions the one-sided rational-instrumental approach and the optimistic belief in technocratic planning which are prevalent in bicycle policies and policy-oriented research. I argue that the influence of historical and cultural factors on levels and practices of bicycle use has basically been underestimated if not overlooked. Such factors can hardly be directly influenced through infrastructural engineering and social planning.

Period	12 Jun 2017
Event title	Scientists for Cycling Colloquium, Velo-city conference, Nijmegen
Event type	Conference