Part I
I used to drive so I never paid attention to bike facilities in Atlanta but overall, my first bike experience in Atlanta was not terrible. There were some discontinuities of bike roads but I liked some bike roads were distinct from cars. As far as for safety, I was little worried because it was very notable some bike roads were not continuous particularly on intersections and it wasn’t safe so we sometimes had to ask for yield. I was thinking if you were alone, you probably needed to use a crosswalk or had to wait until cars were gone. The Beltline was very safe and designed easy to bike but I felt like it was more for leisure because I saw many joggers and people for walk on the way.
My final thought is bikes are treated as somewhere in between pedestrians and cars in Atlanta. There were some bike roads designed well but compared to the facilities for cars and pedestrians, I think more bike facilities are needed.
Part II
The first to grab my attention in the Netherlands was the size of bike roads. It was almost twice bigger than the US so I was guessing how many people use bikes in the Netherlands. There were also tons of bike parking and bike repair shops by the roads. The most interesting fact was the Netherlands had distinct and continuous bike roads even with intersections. I did not see any intersections particularly designed for bikers in Atlanta, which I was feeling very unsafe and uncomfortable because I had to share intersections with cars.
In the US, many Americans bike for leisure. They wear helmets, jerseys, and sunglasses to enjoy cycling while protecting them from car accidents. In the Netherlands, I did not see anybody wearing protecting gears. It seemed like it is a norm to bike to go somewhere for work, grocery shops, or other personal issues. I even saw a biker with a baby carrying in front so I could see how safe the Netherlands was for bikers and how much efforts governments spent to promote bike infrastructures and systems.
