Originally Posted by
Ekdog
Here's a comparison by a Dutchman of cycling in the Netherlands and the U.S. I think most of what he says about cycling in the U.S. is also applicable to the U.K.
We have argued at length about the slow speed typical of Dutch cycling, with Dutch apologists saying that this is not so. Consider the comments, several, in the video concerning speed. There are shots of rather typical urban cyclists, cheap bicycles, flat pedals, jeans, riding in traffic. The Dutch narrator says they are racing, trying to stay ahead of motor traffic. This is not so; they are simply riding at their normal speed to reach their destinations. Another shot shows a cyclist waiting at a driveway to enter the road. The cyclist I would call a fast cyclist; performance bike, lycra, helmet. The Dutch narrator suggests that the ensemble is because of traffic dangers. Whether this cyclist is making a transportation trip or a recreation trip is not known, but it is obvious that he intends to ride fast while remaining comfortable. At other times the narrator praises sit-up-and-beg bicycling as the ideal. And of course he refers to the cycling in traffic by typical urban riders as requiring courage, while the cyclists pictured are not showing any signs of fear. And there's an overhead shot of a gutter bunny getting caught behind a right-turning car. The Dutch narrator remarks that there are always those who disobey the rules. But, not as he means, of course, it was the gutter bunny who was disobeying the rules.
Different cultures make for different mental lenses through which to see the world.