[_ck_]

This is fantastic.

However can you even imagine a "too many bikes" problem in the USA? My town has many bike lanes but bikes have disappeared from even the college campus at an alarming rate as students come in as freshmen with daddy's SUV instead.

[nandemo]

Grass is always greener...

There are lots of bikes but streets are narrow and bike lanes are nowhere to be found (I was amazed when I visited Amsterdam)

Most people ride on the sidewalk; some ride on the street but on the wrong side (contrary to the traffic!).

Most drivers don't seem to be aware of bikes. For instance, you have to take a lot of care of drivers coming from the opposite direction and turning (on their) right in front of you.

Also, most Japanese university students don't own cars and would probably envy you Americans. :-)

[mrdodge]

My favorite part about Amsterdam (and most of Europe for that matter) is that no one wears a helmet.

[pmorici]

Where do you live though? In many parts of the country the weather is not conducive to biking regularly. If you visit colleges on the west coast you'll notice an infestation of bicycles but they have very nice weather year round so it's practical to rely on bikes to get around.

[a-priori]

In cold places during winter, bike lanes double as extra room to pile snow. The trade-off is that in the spring the bike lanes are unusable until the city sweeps the streets because all sorts of debris accumulates in them. Tire-unfriendly stuff like glass and screws.

I grew up in Canada. I speak from experience. :)

[jrockway]

Could be a function of your town. I see tons of cyclists in Chicago even when it's -10 outside. Seems like there are more and more people out everyday, and that we need a lot more bike parking downtown.