In Cambridge, MA, USA, and nearby communities, bike advocates have made real progress with lanes and paths and general infrastructure. Also the city requires that new builds have a proper bike room. This building was recently gutted and fitted out and this is the bike room today - overloaded, and the building is barely half full… Looks like they will need to find more efficient bike racks!
Meanwhile in a recent commute I was in a queue of 30 bicycles at a light at which about 6-8 cars get through at a time. 10-15 years ago I was one of the few bikes on the roads at any time.
Hats off to the advocates and representatives of the local cities that have made this happen through continuous pressure and work over decades…
It’s definitely an afterthought here too in that none of it was here 10-15 years ago, but it’s also worth noting it was an afterthought in Amsterdam too.
What I’m seeing here in Cambridge/Somerville/Boston is very heartening even while it’s incomplete and sometimes frustratingly disappointing, and faces resistance every step of the way. But thankfully the benefits are starting to be more obvious to all but the most stubborn reactionaries.
First there were token and disjointed lanes that were lightly used, but it’s started reaching a critical mass and people are using it in real numbers. It’s boosted by the fact the subways here are in a mess of slowdowns right now (parallels to the Reddit->Lemmy situation!).