The Bicycle-Train Chain Mobility Since 1900 (Studies in History, Technology and Society)

What happens when cycling and train travel are coordinated to work together? This book tells the story of chain mobility―the everyday linking of cycling, walking and rail―as a practical and powerful alternative to car dependence. Centering the experiences of cyclists, it shows how advocacy groups, planners and rail operators built the often-overlooked infrastructures that make seamless travel possible, from secure bicycle parking to station-based rentals.

Focusing on the Netherlands and the pivotal role of Dutch Railways, the book traces early experiments that anticipated what we now call transit-oriented cevelopment. The narrative culminates in the OV-fiets, a landmark innovation that reveals how social practices, institutional coordination and technical systems can align.

Drawing on history, planning, and science and technology studies, the book offers fresh insight into how sustainable mobility takes shape.

Jan Ploeger received his PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. Before his retirement he worked in the field of transport and mobility as consultant and manager at a consulting firm and several public authorities.