City Cycling, by John Pucher and Ralph Buehler

Abstract

Berkeley Planning Journal, Volume 26, 2013 City Cycling Edited by John Pucher and Ralph Buehler MIT Press, 2012 Reviewed by Rebecca Sanders The book City Cycling (MIT Press, 2012), edited by John Pucher and Ralph Buehler, provides a comprehensive overview of research about bicycling in urban areas and efforts to promote it. Contributors include the editors, who authored several chapters and many of the papers cited throughout the book, and other reputable scholars who have published multiple papers on various aspects of bicycling as well as other transportation research. From the beginning, the editors make clear that the book focuses on bicycling in cities, as they believe–and the cumulative research suggests they are correct–that these areas offer the greatest potential for substituting bicycle trips for car trips. Such substituted trips may contribute most significantly to the reduction of noise, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and chronic disease, as well as to improved traffic safety and quality of life in cities and towns. Nevertheless, readers looking for information about bicycling in lower-density suburban and rural areas will likely still benefit from many of the chapters. The book covers a wide spectrum of issues related to bicycling in cities, including: perceived and reported traffic risk, the health benefits of cycling, the practicality of cycling with regard to equipment and speed, integration with public transit, and bike sharing. It also contains a chapter focusing specifically on women, who often face more barriers to cycling (such as the need to carry passengers and a lower risk tolerance), as well as a chapter specifically about children. Finally, there are comparisons on the national and local level to provide perspective about the potential for cycling to become a mass mode, as well as the barriers to that occurring. With its range of topics, all accompanied by long lists of references, this collection will make a great resource for professors, researchers, and practitioners interested in urban cycling, particularly in the U.S. The book’s limited geographic focus may be the occasion for one of its more substantive critiques. With the exception of two chapters, the book focuses on studies and cases from the U.S., Western Europe (particularly the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and the U.K.), and Australia. The case studies and research from Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark reflect cities where years of consistent effort have created nearly ideal cycling environments. The case studies and research from the U.S., U.K., and Australia reflect efforts to increase cycling that are much younger,