I think there&#x27;s a different culture in places where bikes remained (like Netherlands &amp; Denmark) as a major vehicle type and where they can back in recent decades.<p>In the places where they came back, it was a trendy sporty thing. Very expensive bikes became normal and when these new age cyclists try to use their bikes for transport they hit the theft and vandalism issue. Part of the solution in (EG) Netherlands is riding fairly inexpensive &amp; simple bikes so that theft is not such a show stopper.<p>To the sporty newcomers, this seems like a crappy trade-off.<p>In fairness, The Netherlands is flat &amp; small. You can cycle from the outskirts to centres of major cities in 30-45 minutes and even between some cities (EG Hague &amp; Rotterdam) in an hour. Even with the wonderful infrastructure, it&#x27;s probably not applicable in places like Sydney. To get from the centre to the western suburbs where most people live would take 3+ hours cycling. On a rickety Amsterdam classic it&#x27;d be quite a chore, much hillier and hotter. Even inner city Sydneysiders travel farther that Amsterdam Suburbanites. So, sydney cyclists dreaming of a bike-first world are thinking about maximum speed, the fitness to power up hills, sweat clothes and showers at every destination.