Here Come the Velocipedes!

Did you know? 

An article on the Princeton University Archives webpage details how the bucolic campus changed once bicycles appeared on the scene in the 1860s. In the late 19th century, the arrival of the bicycle fundamentally changed how Princeton students moved, socialized, and experienced their surroundings. The new invention brought freedom and speed, but also nuisance and danger.

As the University Archives recounts, the first local mention of a “velocipede” appeared in 1869 (in the NassLit), and by the early 1880s, roughly 12 percent of students (we’re guessing about 40) owned a bicycle. What began as a novelty soon drew students into bicycle racing and club life, while raising questions about where to ‘stable the beasts’, how to regulate night riding before electric headlamps, and how to adjust social attitudes concerning who could ride and where. It certainly wasn’t acceptable for women to ride bicycles until a generation or two later.

This particular entry in the Archives also highlights a tension that is familiar today. While enthusiasm for cycling spread quickly, it took time for the built environment and local rules to catch up. It wasn’t until 1914 that the State compelled university authorities to force students to put lamps on their handlebars. The issues debated in the 1890s, such as adequate lighting for nighttime visibility, bicycle parking, and how to share narrow roads and paths, mirror our modern debates. Princeton’s cycling past reminds us that every generation has had to rethink transportation norms, and that progress comes from addressing new trends with thoughtful planning and community investment.

These historical shifts carry clear echoes for our current initiatives at Walk Bike Princeton. Princeton’s early cycling history is a reminder of how the town once adapted to change through building infrastructure, establishing sensible rules, and reshaping norms. Even 150 years ago, bicycles not only made the daily commute faster but also expanded access to nature, with riders venturing out to the Institute Woods and surrounding countryside much as residents today head to the towpath, Mountain Lakes, and Herrontown Woods. Just as the bicycle once opened new possibilities for mobility and connection in historic Princeton, our efforts today aim to create a town where getting around is easier, safer, and more inclusive for everyone.