mnemia

I pretty much agree, in that I think this is basically an image/propaganda/tribal problem. So many people don't think of cycling as something that "high status" adults do, except as a sport. They just haven't grasped that it's a viable transportation method, and so they think of it either as a recreational activity, as something children do before they grow up, or as something that poor people or drunks do because they don't have cars or drivers' licenses. And of course this is a chicken-and-egg problem, since it stays in those "fringe" categories precisely because it's perceived that way, and perceptions are that way because that's a true stereotype much of the time... Basically I think there needs to be a critical mass (no pun intended) of people doing cycling as transportation in order for perceptions to change and the political will to materialize. Culture may shift over time, but it's an uphill battle as long as governments keep spending SO MUCH of our collective resources on car-only infrastructure. I personally think extremely high fuel prices are one of the only things that could truly change the equation quickly, and there would be a lot of other tectonic changes in our society triggered by the same thing if that were to happen.