Old 02-23-14, 11:58 PM
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bragi
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Short summary of Dutch bicycle infrastructure development

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o

I kind of liked this video, but I'm not sure the Dutch experience has anything useful to offer to the western hemisphere. For one thing, the Dutch had a much more intact remaining bicycle culture when they tried to revive it. This also happened in the 1970's, which was a time before the "conservative" elements in western culture developed their now-infamous ability to ferociously shout down anyone who disagrees with them. The most telling moment for me was when they get to the part about the large numbers of children dying in traffic being the element that tips the scales in favor of bicycle infrastructure. In the US, this sadly would never happen. If children get injured or killed by cars, motorists are not to be blamed, and certainly not our infrastructure; instead, politicos and the media go after the horrid parents who foolishly think it might be okay to let their children ride a bike or walk somewhere.
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