If You Build It, They Will Ride (Part 3)

A more recent and, to these North American eyes, stunning example of public commitment to facilitating rather than waiting for demand is the construction of a new series of inter-urban bikeways in the Netherlands called “Snelfietsroutes” (fast bike paths), designed to make it easier, faster, and safer for cyclists to commute between and through cities. One of these bike superhighways opened in July of 2015 […]

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If You Build It, They Will Ride (Part 2)

In my first blog entry on bicycling infrastructure in the Netherlands, I provided some general comments and then emphasized separated or dedicated bike paths, including some of great routes via out-of-the way paths through forest and heath lands.   But what is most important from a public policy standpoint is the more utilitarian cycling infrastructure, including bike lanes that are integrated with roadways, some of […]

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If You Build It, They Will Ride (Part 1)

  “If you build it, they will come”. It is a familiar phrase, though actually a misquote from the 1989 film Field of Dreams. The actual quote is “If you build it, he will come”.   But I like the misquote better. It conveys a very simple but important principle: when it comes to individual choices and behaviours, supply induces demand in important respects. Because […]

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