How Transferable is Holland's Bike Culture?

"In [Amsterdam's] central neighborhoods, nearly 60 percent of all trips are made on bicycles...While the sheer number of bicycles certainly makes the cyclists more visible on the streets, the city’s bike-friendly planning has put two-wheelers at the top of the transportation pecking order.

“It’s the quickest way to move around in the city, even more than a car or public transit,” said Ria Hilhorst, top bike planner for Amsterdam’s Dienst Infrastructuur Verkeer en Vervoer, which (we have been told) translates roughly to the Department of Transportation. 'It’s a very, very important part of our policy to keep people on bicycles and stimulate the use of it.'"