I lived in Breda, The Netherlands for a month several years ago. I agree completely with the article: its a matter of both culture and safety. There are dedicated bike path lanes--fully separated from the roadways. Moreover, both cyclists and drivers alike follow the law.
Compared to New York City, where I live now, it's the exact opposite. Bike lanes, in the few places they exist, are rarely anything more than a faded paint line on the road. Very few people (pedestrians, cyclists, or drivers) follow the rules of the road. Even as a twentysomething male--presumable predisposed to a higher degree of risk--riding a bike in NYC seems downright reckless.
A contributing factor to its dangerousness may be the city's density; you have trucks at all hours dropping off newspaper deliveries, Amazon.com packages, FreshDirect orders, and so on. These may be some of the worst offenders--not necessarily because of the drivers but also how the vehicles lack visibility.
I find biking in NYC pretty calm as long as I'm not running red lights. To me it feels safer than biking in San Francisco did. There is a significant set of protected bike lanes and there are a fair amount of bikers on the road. Drivers not signaling is certainly a problem and it is important to not follow traffic laws when it's safer.
I disagree. Cycling has become a lot more popular, and easier, in NYC in recent years and especially in recent months since CitiBike started.
I live by 1st Ave, where there is a physically separated bike lane from Houston up to the low 40s. It's a breeze to get uptown on it, and every morning I even see young women in fashionable clothing biking on citibikes to work in midtown.
2nd Ave also has a bike lane that goes in the opposite direction but it is not separated. However there are so many cyclists on it now that cars are aware. Honestly the real danger on 2nd ave is not cars, but the potholes and other road quality issues. If you're not watching the road (literally) you can hit some nasty snags and fall.
3rd thru 5th Ave are not great. 6th Ave has a bike lane but it's not as comfortable as 1st and 2nd. Further west and you can take the Hudson River path, completely separated and along waterfront, anywhere.
The biggest hassle is lack of bicycle parking in Manhattan. That's why CitiBike has been a boon to commuting by bike. They are having their own issues with keeping up with demand and poor hardware and software but hopefully they'll smooth it out.
They are improving cycling a lot in the city and I know the paths will improve.
And a not about the crazy NYC streets. Driving in this city is not something you can do half-asleep. I find drivers are not able to let themselves get distracted because you need to always be alert. Cycling is nuts sometimes in the sense that you've got so much stimuli around you and potential hazards everywhere. The result, though, is that everyone is pretty alert and cars know you're there, and cyclists are also extra careful.
So, as far as Manhattan goes, biking is the best and often quickest way to get around, weather permitting. I don't find it unsafe unless you let your guard down or ride recklessly. You have to remain defensive and you have to stay off certain roads (I don't bike on the major streets, i.e. 14th, 23rd, Houston). You have to be assertive; you can't be afraid to yell in a driver's face when he turns and cuts off your path without looking and you have to use the bell liberally around cars.
You make a good point. I live in a small city in NY, and the streets are basically free-for-all zones. You have pedestrians with toddlers crossing in the middle of the block in traffic, cars driving 50mph down narrow sidestreets and lance armstrong wannabe cyclists blowing lights and riding on sidewalks to pass cars.
NYC is more than Manhattan, and while I could see some areas in Manhattan that are ok-ish for bikes, many parts of Queens, Brooklyn, etc are difficult for cyclists, and certainly not amenable to casual bicycling.
The geography of Amersterdam is different thinking beyond topography. The streets are narrower as well.
Compared to New York City, where I live now, it's the exact opposite. Bike lanes, in the few places they exist, are rarely anything more than a faded paint line on the road. Very few people (pedestrians, cyclists, or drivers) follow the rules of the road. Even as a twentysomething male--presumable predisposed to a higher degree of risk--riding a bike in NYC seems downright reckless.
A contributing factor to its dangerousness may be the city's density; you have trucks at all hours dropping off newspaper deliveries, Amazon.com packages, FreshDirect orders, and so on. These may be some of the worst offenders--not necessarily because of the drivers but also how the vehicles lack visibility.
Some recent examples: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/nyregion/6-year-old-fatall... http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/bicyclists-fami...