Why do more people commute using their bikes in Europe?

Though cycling to work has the potential to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your overall health, you’re probably not doing it. In many communities, bike lanes simply don’t exist, making it difficult or downright dangerous to battle automobile traffic to bike to work.
Cities like Washington, D.C., and New York have installed bike paths for commuters, and the investment has paid off. In D.C., bike commuting has increased by 120 percent, and in New York ridership has doubled, all thanks to offering cyclists appropriate infrastructure. While it’s certainly good news, the sad fact remains that the U.S. still lags far behind European nations when it comes to bicycle commuting.

A tale of two continents
Cities like Copenhagen, Barcelona, Paris and Rome all have major cycling infrastructure, and their ridership figures have increased accordingly. About 40 percent of Germans and Swedes bike to work at least once a week, almost four times the amount of Americans who do so. As of 2013, just 1.21 percent of New Yorkers commuted to work by bicycle, despite the creation of new bike paths.
Why are Americans so slow to adopt bicycle commuting, even when investments are made in bike lanes? Infrastructure is only part of the story.