How safe and how common is bicycle riding in Europe? What are the most bicycle friendly cities in the world?

Question

I personally don't like to ride bicycle on busy streets because I don't want to get hit by cars and don't like to inhale dirty air. Some people obsessed with riding bicycles like to cite the examples of Copahagen and Amsterdam as what cities should be designed. How common is bicycling in Europe or China? and how safe? What about the pedestrians? Are pedestrians in those cities safe from careless and aggressive bicyclists?

Answer 1

In the Netherlands all children learn to ride a bike and they do ride it at least till they are 18 and can get a driving license, but many people in their 70's still ride their bike on a daily basis.

There are more bikes in the Netherlands than there are people, and those Dutch who ride their bikes often have 2 or 3 each. The rest of the Dutch will almost all have one (old or luxery) bike.

Most Dutch will not want to ride a bike in Amsterdam, as it is rather chaotic, but those who live in or near the town say you get used to it quickly.

When you come to the Netherlands you will see that the road is divided different from what you are used to.
Near the houses is the 'stoep' the pavement or sidewalk that is reserved for walking, and for children to play.
Then there is the 'fietspad' the bike lane.
Next there is one lane each direction for the cars, (more on very busy streets.)
On the other side there is the same, or the bikelane can be both directions on one side of the street.
With that set-up the bicyclists should not ride their bikes on the sidewalk between the pedestrians.
They still do, specially in 'walking only' shopping areas, but as the bicyclists know they are in the wrong, they do take care not to bother the walkers (too much.) If the police sees you riding where you should walk you get fined. (I think it was about €50, $65, but I am not sure about that, I have never been fined, yet.)

But even the smaller streets where there is no special bikelane, the bicycles ride on the street, near the sidewalk, and cars pass rather close.
You get used to it, and the Dutch do not know any better.
I am often a little afraid when a big lorry overtakes me, but luckily I do not often ride roads where they get real close.

I use my bike to go to my work, and so do more than half my co-workers, and that is nothing special in the Netherlands, but I do not remember the total numbers of people using cars and bikes to go to work.
In many cases, in town trafic, a bicycle is almost as fast as a car, and in trafic jams a bicycle is the fastest way to go forward, specially if there are separate bike-lanes.

Secondary schools, age 12 to 16, in the smaller towns, all children come by bike. In the bigger towns now more kids come by bus, but about none will be transported by car.
When they reach 16 they can get a moped, a 50 cc motorbike, but many do not, and keep using their bicycles.

And about inhaling dirt, do you have a filter in your car windows? And when you walk, do you cover your mouth?

Where I ride my bike there is not too much polution, and by using a bike instead of a car I do my bit to keep it so.

Answer 2

I've been to Denmark, and I agree.. it's bicycle paradise. I'm in Italy, compared to Denmark there are no bicycle lanes, but nonetheless bicycle has been proved to be the fastest way to move in towns. Unfortunately it's not generally safe, due to lack of or poorly designed lanes. I live in Emilia Romagna, likely the most bike-friendly area in Italy, so drivers are used to bicycles, and they are not so strict on traffic code - a fine to a bicycle would be almost considered an attempt on civil liberties!
There are "bicibus" for schools, they work just like school buses, with timetables, stops, reserved lanes. Every kid ride his/her bike, they gather at the bicibus stops, a couple of adults in charge collect them at due time, they form a bicycles line and go to school and back home that way. Their long bicycles worm is very nice to see! Children learn how to take care of their bike, traffic code and signs.