Introduction

Globally identified demand to stabilise anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (Steffen et al, 2018) also urgently demands research on implementation and for action to be taken locally (geographically and sectorally) in transport. The EU roadmap 2050 calls for a 54 to 67 per cent reduction in transport emissions compared to the base year 1990. Only very ambitious policies and interventions can meet or undercut these reduction goals given by the roadmap (Muller et al, 2012). The only feasible climate mitigation strategy is to thoroughly restructure urban mobility organisation (Massink et al, 2011). However, unfortunately the transport sector has been lagging behind other sectors in the need to meet its share of emission reduction (Anderl et al, 2018). Facing these big challenges in transportation, legislators and policy makers have recently begun to consider cycling as their bearer of hope, due to the positive climate value of cycling (Massink et al, 2011). Nevertheless, climate change mitigation and adoption are by no means the only reasons for demanding a re-structuring of urban transport regimes; liveable cities (Gehl, 2011), fair space allocation (Knoflacher, 2015), improved health (Douglas et al, 2011; Goodman et al, 2012) are also among the specific goals being considered, (see also Whitelegg, Chapter 5, this volume).

This rising awareness has led, and continues to lead, to cycling receiving an increasingly prominent role in urban (for example, Telepak et al, 2015), regional (for example, Rosinak & Partner and Besch + Partner, 2006) and national transport master plans (for example, Heinfellner et al, 2015). But quite often, as already highlighted by Brezina and Castro (2017), there is a considerably large gap between ambitious policy drafting and effective on-site realisation (Pilko et al, 2015).

In the second half of the 20th century, planning, constructive and organisational solutions for transport and urban space revolved mostly around cars; other modes were left marginalised (Koglin and Rye, 2014). Ample strategies for sustainable transport have been developed in recent decades, but these plans have been insufficiently detailed for infrastructural implementation (Bell and Ferretti, 2015). This finding also resonates with Davies et al (2000) and Daley and Rissel (2011), who survey misinterpretations of transport user needs by decision makers.