Originally Posted by
gerv
That's interesting. So what makes Tokyo OK for getting around on bike?
Maybe cultural respect for cyclists? In Japan, you ring your bike bell and pedestrians tend to move out of the way, drivers in general will yield the way to cyclists. On narrow roads or long climbs they will patiently drive behind you until you arrive at a safe point where they can pass you. In Japan even grandmas ride their bikes, so people are more conscious of sharing the road and know deep-in how vulnerable cyclists are on the road. That mentality still doesn't exist in most places in North America. I am hopeful, however, that this will start to change over the next few decades as bikes regain a foot in our society.