Cycle commuting is probably at least a bit of a fad over the past decade, maybe a fading fad. I say this as a dedicated cycling commuter for about 10 years. So

Cycle commuting is probably at least a bit of a fad over the past decade, maybe a fading fad. I say this as a dedicated cycling commuter for about 10 years. So I think this might explain part of a decline, assuming it is statistically significant. While many US cities have made some efforts to increase cycling, I think they focus too much on new infrastructure and too little on quality infrastructure and enforcement against dangerous drivers. Just look at illegal parking in the bike lane to know how important cycling is to the city. In Austin, nothing has changed with regards to this in the 5 years I have lived here. The reason is clear to me: the city is happy to give cyclists lip service, but anything that might involve actual effort or possibly making drivers irritated doesn't happen (unless it's new construction). I have gone through cycling stop sign enforcement efforts twice, once on bike to work day! http://www.kut.org/post/austin-police-ticket-47-campus-area-cyclists-bike-ut-day http://www.kut.org/post/austin-police-ticket-47-campus-area-... I always stop, and as I recall I got a thumbs up from one cop on bike to work day. In contrast I have never run into any of the enforcement efforts against drunk or distracted driving. I am confident such things occur, as I have asked the police about it before and they explained their procedures. But I get the impression that drunk and distracted driving are not taken as seriously as they should be. Based on what they said, I should periodically run into the distracted driving enforcement near schools (so they can write double price tickets), but I am still waiting 4 years later. I also was assaulted by a driver once while riding in a lane marked for bikes. (Physical assault; they did not hit me with their car.) I called the police, who to their credit showed up promptly and took my statement. They didn't do anything else, though. A cop later told me that if I wanted anything to come of this, I'd have to file at municipal court and pay a fee. I talked to a lawyer who said nothing would come of this, even though I have the entire incident on my helmet camera. The city police chief in the past said they take complaints from cyclists at municipal court seriously: https://bicycleaustin.info/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1511 https://bicycleaustin.info/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1511 But I am not seeing it. Why would I make what is effectively a $100+ donation to a police department who only cares enough to give me lip service? If they actually wanted to get more cyclists to report bad drivers, they'd reduce or waive the fee for cyclists. A lot of progress needs to be made in the US to make cycling a better option.