Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Cycling and Tourism
Cycling achieved remarkable popularity from the 1880s onwards. This
followed a decade of rapid technological improvements and increased pro-
duction. This new form of transport intruded rapidly into the world of
walking; cities had been dominated for centuries by the need to travel on foot,
and now this was no longer the case. In many respects, cycling had a greater
impact on mobility patterns than any other form of transport in the 19th cen-
tury, because of its wide reach across the population. Fashion changed too, for
people began to use the bicycle for recreational outings, mainly from their
homes to parks or the near countryside. To a lesser extent it became an accom-
plished way to explore, including other countries, for those who had the time
and resources.
The less well-off seemingly took great advantage of this affordable and rev-
olutionary development for leisure; certainly this was the case in most western
countries. It brought about a shift in attitudes and behaviour in relation to
recreation (Herlihy, 2004; Sovacool, 2009). The considerable role of the rail-
ways in stimulating trips to destinations has been discussed in Chapter 5, but
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the bicycle also played a part in liber-
ating people from their immediate neighbourhoods to visit countryside
destinations. The combination of the railway and cycling was a marriage in
heaven for those seeking a break away from urban areas to enjoy local resorts.
There were even special trains that carried hundreds of cyclists to the country-
side until the 1950s, many of them organized by cycling groups. The tradition
has not died out altogether. For example, in Switzerland there are special cycle
compartments on trains, and in Taiwan special cycle trains were launched by
the Taiwanese Railway Administration in 2008 to encourage pollution-free
cycling holidays; they are known as environmental protection train services.
The extent of their popularity is not yet discernible (China Post, 2008).
The heyday of recreational cycling in most countries occurred in the early
decades of the 20th century, prior to the dramatic rise of car ownership. In
