Anybody ever watch the HGTV station (Home & Garden TV?). In any show that wants to portray a wonderful, perfect, happy suburban neighborhood, it seems like they always have a couple of cyclists on hybrids, out for a leisurely cruising the boulevard pass through the scene.
So, I guess it's a notion that appeals to a lot of people, even non-cyclists. Probably the same people who buy bikes, ride them once, and subsequently let them rust in the garage.