Changes

==Recent TrendsWhy did bicycling become less popular in Europe after World War II? ==

In parts of Europe, there were declines in the use of bicycles after World War 2. For the most part, most countries began to focus their transport spending on building roads or rail throughout the second half of the 20th century, and in particular as part of the reconstruction period after the war. In the Netherlands, in the 1960s , it was evident cycling did begin to decline as cars displaced cyclists from roads. In the early 20th century, the Dutch had among the highest per capita use of bikes in the world. By 1970, it was evident that motor deaths began to become a leading cause of death for young people, which led to a reemergence of the importance of the bicycle in the Netherlands as a means for transport. Major campaigns began pressure politicians to develop specific infrastructure that segregated cyclists from motor traffic. This led to one of the first nation-wide master plans for cycling that focused on developing nation-wide bike routes and protected areas. The led to also dedicated bicycle garages, changing facilities, and parking areas throughout the country. The transformation and campaigns by Dutch activists to make cycling part of an integrated transport planning became the model where other countries have since tried to replicate, where now cycling is often seen as one of the best transport options or at least part of other options for short distances in urban regions and the countryside.<ref>For more on the Dutch cycling transformation, see: Norcliffe, G. B. (2015). <i>Critical geographies of cycling: history, political economy and culture</i>. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. </ref>

In the early 20th century, the Dutch had among the highest per capita use of bikes globally. By 1970, it was evident that motor deaths became a leading cause of death for young people, which led to a re-emergence of the importance of the bicycle in the Netherlands as a means for transport. Major campaigns began to pressure politicians to develop specific infrastructure that segregated cyclists from motor traffic.  This led to one of the first nation-wide master plans for cycling that focused on developing nation-wide bike routes and protected areas. The led to also dedicated bicycle garages, changing facilities, and parking areas throughout the country. The transformation and campaigns by Dutch activists to make cycling part of an integrated transport planning became the model where other countries have since tried to replicate, where now cycling is often seen as one of the best transport options or at least part of other options for short distances in urban regions and the countryside.<ref>For more on the Dutch cycling transformation, see: Norcliffe, G. B. (2015). <i>Critical geographies of cycling: history, political economy and culture</i>. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. </ref>  == How did cycling become popular in the United States in the 1980s? ==In the 1980s, what began as mainly an upper -class interest in health and fitness in the United States, began to renew interest in cycling. While the overall the number of adult cyclists were was low in the United States, weekend, recreational use began to make a comeback come back among some adults. By the 1980s, mountain biking was a new sport that helped to help put interest back in cycling forms of cycling. In the 1990s, renewed interests in bicycle racing also helped Americans once again take more interest in cycling.  Additionally, bicycling played an integral role in the extraordinarily popular movie E.T. directed by Steven Spielberg. After the movie played in theaters, supercharged bike sales for kids and pre-teens. Classic kid bikes were replaced by bicycles that mimicked the Kuwahara Model 3003 ridden by Elliot in the movie.  During the first decade of the 2000s, it was high oil prices that made also increased urban cycling become more popular popularity in US citiesthe United States. Dedicated bicycle lanes began to reappear as pressure groups formed in American cities. The rise of oil prices, high traffic, coupled with and increased interests in health, with obesity becoming a major problem, has now led to cycling being of high interest in many countries in Europe, the United States, and East Asia. Almost every major city now has a master plan for integrating cycling with urban transport. The biggest recent trends have been urban communities introducing docking stations and dock-less bicycles as part of their urban transport plans.<ref>For more on the history of cycling in the United States, see: Reid, C. (2017).<i> Bike boom: the unexpected resurgence of cycling</i>. Washington, DC: Island Press. </ref>