[chema]

All the same constraints apply to San Francisco! What little parking exists is expensive and traffic is so bad that getting around by bike is nine times out of ten faster than driving or even transit. That's why SF making (slow) progress.

The real challenge is outside of the dense urban areas, where most people biking are the poor or the undocumented. It's going to require a cultural shift.

[URSpider94]

The major difference being that Amsterdam is flat as a board, while SF is hella hilly. That does make cycling everywhere a little less of an equal-opportunity means of transport.

[chema]

That's certainly a factor. Commercial corridors became commercial corridors in SF because they were more accessible for horse and carriage back in the 1850-90s since they were flat, the same reason why they are the ideal bike routes around the hills today.

We can't do anything about these geographic bottlenecks though and the fact is that people are biking more and more, despite the hills. Better transit is probably the key, but I have a tough time seeing cars as a long-term solution.