Germans pay to scrap old bikes

It never feels like I'm fighting a losing battle, either. Well, when working in London. We just launched SC in Oxford and I did wonder if, like Mannheim I suppose, car ownership is just too much a part of the culture. Towns and Citys like that, are built for cars. Ringroads, bypasses, retail parks miles away from the city centre, etc. etc.

Yes, London is the easy target. In Oxford, along with the things you've mentioned, you also have to contend with the badly misconceived Park and Ride system.