Thinking about a change in country in a year or two and Germany comes up a lot. How is the cycling infrastructure? I understand it's not great compared to NL or DK but worlds better than where I am now (Ireland) and obviously incomparable to the disaster that is US bike infrastructure.
> Thinking about a change in country in a year or two and Germany comes up a lot. How is the cycling infrastructure? I understand it's not great compared to NL or DK
In my very culture-biased observation as a native German (who also goes to work mostly by bicycle (and if not, by tram)), I would say that the Germans who go by bike are more risk-tolerant. Where people of other cultures would refuse to go by bike, the group of Germans who love to go by bike will go by bike no matter what the cycling infrastructure is like (I know quite a lot such people). If your cycling annoys motorists, know the laws and simply tell them that you also advocate for better cycling infrastructure.
In this sense, my impression is that the central reason why the cycling infrastructure becomes improved in Germany is so that motorists become less annoyed by cyclists.
P.S. To answer your question: In NL and, I think, DK the cycling infrastructure is better (how much depends on the city; for example Münster is very bicycle-friendly). But this is not something that you care about when you bicycle in Germany (especially to/from work), since it is rather an attitude to life. Because you are convinced that going by bike is "the right thing", you will go by bike no matter how sketchy the cycling infrastructure is like.
I used to cycle anywhere, anyhow and it's amazing I'm alive in retrospect. Country roads on California's central coast in the middle of the night - from DTLA to Santa Monica down Wilshire (my wife was on bus 20 and I managed to beat her at 3 AM), etc.
But I'm tired of feeling like I stand a decent chance of dying any time I decide to go anywhere.
More importantly, though, I'd like to be happy watching my kid ride a bike to school, and not filled with abject terror.
Hah, I'm glad you found our little pseudo-anarchic protest group! Interesting to see the profile change between Dublin Cycling Campaign and IBD in terms of mindshare...
Incidentally, I made a tool for finding homes:
1) Near a decent bike route, or the few that exist (grand canal, Phoenix Park, Waterford Greenway, etc.)
