Bicycle Research Service: ForschungsDienst Fahrrad FDF 218 –
28.05.1994 HISTORY OF CYCLE TRACKS Cycle tracks for the
expansion of motorised traffic Key points: At the start of the
twentieth century the first cycle tracks were constructed for
the comfort of cyclists. Since the end of the 1920s, cycle
tracks have been required and promoted as a prerequisite for the
expansion of motorised traffic. It was only in the 1930s that
cyclists were forced to use cycle tracks, allegedly for their
own safety. Main content: Volker Briese has reviewed the
industry newspaper “Radmarkt” (Bicycle Market), that has been
published since 1886, and has compiled the history of cycle
tracks in Germany up until 1940. In the nineteenth century
people began to demand cycle tracks because the unpaved roads
and roadways paved with large stones were clearly unsuitable for
cycling. The first special tracks that were constructed for
cyclists did not follow standardised guidelines or state
specifications. In Bremen, Hamburg and Luneburg thes