Technology · Infrastructure

Dutch cycling infrastructure

from the mid-1970s · Netherlands

What it is

After rising traffic deaths and the 'Stop de Kindermoord' (Stop the Child Murder) protests and the 1973 oil crisis, Dutch cities reversed course on car-centred planning and began building dedicated, physically separated cycle networks. Towns such as Houten and Tilburg piloted comprehensive bicycle infrastructure with priority junctions and protected lanes. Sustained investment produced one of the world's highest cycling rates. The approach became a reference model exported worldwide.

Why it matters

Dutch segregated cycle networks are an internationally influential example of redesigning urban mobility away from the private car.

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