I wonder how much the move away from fitness affects it.
Here's an example. In a college town, you see people on scooters all the time. A 49cc scooter is cheap, uses very little gas, and doesn't need insurance or tags. Making it a popular choice among college students needing cheap wheels. (A buddy of mine had one, even though he had a drivers license and kept insurance on it. Still far cheaper to own than a car.) In other communities, a 49cc scooter is just a "DWI mobile". Something people who have had their drivers license revokes ride. I wonder if the attitude towards bike is affected by how the culture is shifting away from that. Away from fitness, more towards convenience.
I'm not one to talk about the good ol' days or proclaim the sky is falling; but certainly, culture is shifting. Not only can folks not even fathom the idea of doing something less convenient on purpose; but they don't tolerate it.
In my community, so far, I've had positive experiences. Bikes are pretty rare, so most probably don't have negative experiences with bikes. I'm not sure what folks think when they see me, but they give me room. But I'm sure if I do this long enough, I'll have some bad experiences to add to my pedigree.