>Is this disconnect present in other countries? To ruffle some feathers, yes. And this in the country that always seems to be the first example given: The Neth

>Is this disconnect present in other countries? To ruffle some feathers, yes. And this in the country that always seems to be the first example given: The Netherlands. Don't get me wrong. Relative to most countries, NL is great for cyclists. Specifically Amsterdam and Utrecht are great for a car-free life, as well as some other cities. Areas close to train stations, connected to any bigger city, tend to do well too. That's about where it ends. Public transport took humongous hits and roads are being expanded. Why? Because despite everything, car usage is going up and traffic jams are once again increasing. Specifically on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when most people are expected to be at the office. Since public transport is increasingly worsening, most people will simply take the car all the way rather than doing a bit by bicycle and then using the bus/train. Housing prices make the above even worse (more people have to live outside locations ideal for cycling, PT or a combination), and the government is actively playing into car ownership. I hope I don't need to explain why propping up individual car usage makes building more housing even more problematic (hint: you need to park them, for one). "But Amsterdam is doing great! But Utrecht is doing great! But I can get from Almere to Amsterdam really easily!" Sure, they are. Now please, overlap Paris, London, or any other big city on top of the Netherlands. Achieving a 100% cyclable Paris is a far bigger achievement than Amsterdam and Utrecht combined. And the writing is on the wall what happens when cars are more affordable and commutes by motorized vehicle are 1 hour a day minimum: car usage continues to go up. This isn't to be discouraging either. Rather, it's to show that governments can't slack off and take the easy path out. The easy path leads to congested roads, traffic jams, frustrated drivers, mass pollution and a highly inefficient use of ground area.