I loved seeing all the pictures on that site... makes me want to "dutch-ize" our town (central eating areas w/al fresco cafes and bike lanes/community) Ahhh

I'm torn on the whole helmet thing and it seems like it's comparing apples to oranges in the way that Copenhagen and Amsterdam have had their cities designed with the bicycle as central and the auto as secondary. In that, roads are narrower, speed limits are slower, autos are banned from certain streets, dedicated bike paths, dedicated signals/signage and the list goes on. If I were bicycling on a bike path here (where the majority of traffic consisted of other cyclists, walkers, runners), I would not wear a helmet. I also wonder about their litigation mentality. Here in the US, it seems rampant.

As for wearing dresses/skirts, I do. I wear my bike shorts under. It's not anymore difficult to ride than with straight bike shorts. I'll even wear my bike tights under skirts, too. I like the look and don't feel as self-conscious.