The findings of the MID 2008 and SrV 2008 studies verify that the significance of bikes as a mean of transport has grown significantly over an extended period of time, and most particularly in recent years. They demonstrate that the intensity of bike use in a city or community depends on various factors. It is obvious that societal trends have been the primary motive for this development; such tendencies have been supported to varying degrees by active cycling policies in cities and regions. Other determining factors include:
• settlement pattern development (distances between residential areas, workplaces, shopping centres);
• the shrinking importance of topography (is the landscape flat or hilly?) due to better bike technology;
• the quality of cycling infrastructure;
• the local attitude towards bikes, i. e. acceptance of cycling by the general public;
• local transport policy.
Thus, the possibilities for successful promotion of cycling at the local level are just as varied as the determining factors of bike use. Well-devised and committed local cycling policy can, for example, enhance both bike infrastructure and the general attitude towards cycling. Consequently, a significant variable when it comes to bike use is how effective individual cities and communities are in seizing their opportunities.