Making the perfect cycling policy: the role of evaluations in Dutch Municipal Cycling Policy

Abstract

Cycling is a healthy, cheap and flexible transport mode that policymakers around the world are attempting to utilize as a solution towards cities that are becoming ever more crowded and congested. Academic research into the topic is relatively new and especially the policymaking process regarding cycling is often overlooked. Furthermore, the way policymakers learn from previous cycling policies is questionable. Therefore, the following main research question for this study was formulated: What role do evaluations and the knowledge gained from these evaluations play in the making of cycling policy in cities in The Netherlands and why? By means of two qualitative case studies (semi-structured interviews), the policymaking process and the most important influences and actors were mapped. From the collected data, five factors of influence primarily stood out. Also, it became apparent that the influence of actors other than the municipality is mainly limited to consultations. The general image of evaluations in policy is that they could potentially be very useful, but that there are also various issues related to the data needed to perform evaluations. As a result, the role of evaluations in cycling policies is mainly limited to a more conceptual use.