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@Dangeruss
one of the big differences (from Amsterdam/copenhagen etc) is that the bikes we choose to ride are essentially a fashion/personality statement and not actually designed for commuting, pretty much everyone on this forum will be riding a bike designed for speed, they are sold on the back of the same go faster/compete mentality that cars are marketed to....
From my point of view & experience; i recently brought back from Amsterdam a standard Dutch situp & beg with practical mudguards & cargo box up front which is my everyday bike now. i used to ride a cannondale track.
Now i find that i'm physically riding in a more relaxed and less 'racey' position, i take up more space, i can carry stuff almost like having car boot, and i feel more like traffic, i find myself stopping at reds all the time, and interacting in a less confrontational manner with traffic... maybe its just me, but if you go to Amsterdam everyone rides basically the 'same' bike, it transcends fashion, its just how people commute, there are tangible reasons its better; roads layouts favour cyclists, many roads are one way for cars, both for bike etc...
i would like to believe that if we could only buy 'practical' bikes over here, without being seduced by the allure of racing/competing on the road and there were visible advantages to commuting by bike then we could perhaps move back to the bicycle being the default way of commuting...
#rantover #bitdrunk