[gjm11]

The comment in question is (I believe) referring specifically to how things are in the Netherlands, where my understanding is that long commutes are much less common than they are in the United States, and many more people cycle as well as drive.

Is it actually true that "[motor] vehicles are actively punished for not indicating, cyclists are not"? So far as I can tell, it's extremely rare for anyone to be punished for not indicating. (Which is probably the Right Thing; the police surely have better things to spend their time on than watching for drivers or cyclists who fail to indicate.)