Originally Posted by Stadjer

Bicycle infrastructure is the cheapest infarstructure. We have had a right wing government for over a decade now so taxes for ordinary people have gone up too far, but in general you pay for things through taxes Americans tend to pay privately for. Government often works more efficient and cheaper so there's not much difference with what you end up with for free choice spending.


That's not entirely correct. The Dutch were moving in the American direction until the 70's, but many cities used to be fortress towns which were compact. They embraced cycling in the early 1900's because the whole counry is pretty compact, so the bicycle was a life and society changer. villages and cities got connected, rural people could go to the beach and city people could go camping in the woods. A private associaton build most of the cycle paths in the country side. Basically because of the German occupation, mass car use came very sudden and very strongly, when lots of people were still cycling, but more things came together at that time.

It's not really a European thing. It's the Netherlands, Denmark had a similar thing going on to a lesser degree, and then there is the rest, with a country like Germany having done some positive things in the margins of a car centered country, while Britain is a mess. These are very different societies and cultures and that matters.