Public Mobility and New Forms of Governance: The Example of the Berlin Bicycle Referendum

The impetus for Germany’s first bicycle law came from civil society. The impulse arose from the still unresolved conflict between the automobile-fixation of Germany’s conservative transport policy and the progressive desire for sustainable mobility, which is intended to be oriented towards the needs of citizens and required a redistribution of road space in favor of cycling. The consensus was that transport must be made more sustainable. Opinions differed strongly on how.