Originally Posted by
Chicago Al
"None so blind as those who will not see," to borrow a phrase. Sorry for the hostile reception you are seeing here, Mr Hagen. As you surmise, it comes from a distinct but very vocal minority, with self-styled spokesmen (only men as far as I can tell) who seem to actually prefer that fewer people cycle.
Some of us look at the videos of cycling in the Netherlands and think it looks great: convenient, safe, and therefore extremely popular. Some of us apparently look at the same video and see a group of bicycling lemmings*, trapped in an oppressive system, in greater danger than if they were simply riding on the road mixed in with cars.
I don't think that anyone who has actually ridden in the Netherlands would have the latter point of view, though.
*for the literal-minded: of course the story of lemmings throwing themselves over cliffs is a myth.
The objection of American vehicular cyclists has nothing to do with limiting the number of cyclists; it is that what we get instead of obeying the rules of the road for drivers of vehicles is worse than obeying. We object to a system that is based on not obeying those rules, for the convenience of motorists regardless of the welfare of cyclists.
There is the further problem with advocating Copenhagenization that there is no evidence that it would produce results in America similar to those in the source cities, while there is considerable evidence that it likely would not.