Originally Posted by
mnemia
I'm not convinced that it's JUST the bike infrastructure that has given e.g., the Dutch some of the safest roads in the world (for all road users, not just cyclists). It's also the cultural context in which that infrastructure operates. That's why I'm skeptical of Dutch concepts working when removed from that cultural context.
I tend to agree... I think a combination of at least working to make "complete streets" and less autocentric "urban highways" coupled with education at the public school level is the only way that cycling will be massively accepted in the US. Of course that could take a generation or two to work... and in that same time the introduction of robot drive cars may make many of the existing issues less of an issue.
Certainly insisting that cyclists ride in a strict VC manner while "sharing" 50MPH roads with aggressive motorists isn't doing much to promote cycling in the US.