To the Europeans on here who love their bicycles

LOOL this made my day. It's the exact same thing here in the English speaking part of Canada.

 

I still have no clue where you're actually from @Wave Surfer

 

I'm from Germany, too, and in my town everybody has always been using it as a serious means of transportation. At some places you see dozens or hundreds of bicycles parked. Unless you use the Autobahn, it often is even faster than going by car, or using any sort of public transportation. It takes up less space, you don't have to look for a parking lot, you get to move your body a bit, you feel the wind in your face, you don't pollute the environment. The only disadvantage would be that you get wet when it's raining. Other than that, comparing this, cars are just for people's egos, transporting stuff or for people who can't ride a bike for health reasons. As long as you stay in the town, that is.

There are also cycle paths in every 50km/h street where I live. When I lived in Düsseldorf, they weren't everywhere, and I went by bike far less. The traffic scared me. I even wore a helmet. It depends a lot on the city, it must not be too big, I suppose.

One more condition is there: There shouldn't be steep hills in your area. But my town is perfectly flat, not a single hill anywhere. It's close to the Netherlands, where there are even more cyclists, and even wider cycle paths.

People often use crappy bikes, because they don't want to have them stolen, and if they are stolen, they at least won't have lost so much money. It just isn't fun to buy a decent bike when you have to be afraid everytime you leave it in the dark somewhere.

I just looked it up: In my town of Oldenburg (Oldb) with 160 000 inhabitants, 43% of ways are done by bicycle. It actually looks like that is the highest number in Germany, and actually the second highest in the whole of Europe! Wow, I didn't know that. I knew that we have a high number of cyclists, but people always said that Münster is at the top of the list in Germany. So, my impression might not be the statistical average

Well, in my town driving a car when it's not necessary is for:

Posers
Elderly people
Slackers


Cars are noisy and smell.

Unless you show me a scientific study which says otherwise, I suppose not.

 

In Canada, bicycles are for those who have a DUI and cannot afford the fines and breathalyzer installation fees.

 

Any French Canadians here who can provide their prospective?

 

The Netherlands here:
We have more Bicycles then humans in our country.
Everyone uses Bicycles

 

It not only the mindset, it's also the way our country is organised. The Netherlands is small, dense populated and flat. The bike is theirfore in many cases the best option.