I think we need to specify the type of cycling too. Sport cycling like club riding and mountain biking make up a large proportion of the low level of UK cycling, and leisure riding another large portion. But none of those drive infrastructure change, government is only interested in the transport aspect, utility riding. And most of the Dutch riding is utility, very different from the UK.
Surely the main problem with cycling for the masses in the UK is the hilly terrain in comparison with Holland?
That is a very big factor, it's noticeable in the UK that in very hilly areas like mine, cycling levels are exceptionally low, mainly done only by the enthusiasts and no local utility riding, like shopping etc.
Has Holland managed to locate shopping centres and work places closer to where people live or are we just looking at Amsterdam and London?
Since 70% of all their journeys nationwide are cycled and their cycling is easily seen to be generally very much slower than ours, they've obviously struck a far better balance than us in this respect.
Do they have the same "provincial" imbalance in funding/infrastructure levels?
I don't think so, their smaller scattered centres have often been in the forefront of improvements. Indeed they led the introductions of car free streets and whole living areas restricted to vehicle walking speed for access only with pedestrian priority at all times.
At last we do have some tiny moves in these directions in the UK now. For example communities can institute play streets now, closed to all traffic one day a week. And in some urban residential areas, blanket 20 mph limits have been introduced, but they face fierce opposition, even from councillors who are supposed to be introducing them.
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