American visitors impressed by cycling in the Netherlands

Our trip started in Utrecht, where our group marveled at the parade of bicyclists swooshing past on bikeways separated from the streets. This raised the immediate question among for us: Why is biking a way of life in the Netherlands and only a tiny portion of the transportation picture in U.S.?

Bicyclists swooshing past on bikeways? Segregation as a way of getting people cycling? I ask you, what nonsense. Just look at the kind of anarchy that Utrecht suffers from (below). It would never work here. It would be pointless asking for segregated cycle paths, which is why we shall continue not to ask for them.