Originally Posted by sbhikes
Never been to Europe.
Pictures I have seen of Amsterdam and Copenhagen show cycling as a totally different beast than around here. People wear normal clothes, dresses, suits with coats. They bikes have little guards to prevent your clothes from getting caught in the spokes and stuff like that. People ride bikes to go out on dates, to run errands and everything. It's not like it's a separate aspect to society like it is here.
So their facilities makes sense to the way cycling is integrated into their daily lives. The facilities actually facilitate the cycling they do.
The problem with all the bickering around here is that the facilities facilitate the riding that many people do around these parts, but not the type of riding that a lot of the anti-facilities people prefer.
SB, You are right on with your comments about North European urban cycling.
Some of the anti-facilities types are more interested in preserving their rights to paceline on their training rides from any imaginary threat, than for advocating for any cycling that they don't consider "Serious." Or their chief concern when determining how cyclists "fare best" is the
need for maximum speed.