

Three years in Europe with Trolltech - qw
http://benjamin-meyer.blogspot.com/2008/08/three-years-in-europe-with-trolltech.html

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enjo
"It is sociably acceptable for every day adults to ride bikes, even a women in
a skirt which was something you would never see in the states."

This guy has obviously never been to Portland, Denver, or a host of other
cities where bikes are absolutely normal modes of transportation.

Hell just as I wrote this two women (in skirts) biked past my window (Downtown
Denver).

~~~
RyanMcGreal
True, but the normalization of cycling in a few select US cities is much more
recent than the normalization of cycling across the northern European lowlands
countries.

~~~
jrockway
"Few select"

Are there any major cities (say, the size of Oslo) where cycling isn't or
wasn't always common?

~~~
RyanMcGreal
My understanding is that cycling became common when cities responded to the
1970s oil crises by dramatically increasing gas taxes (to reduce driving) and
invested heavily in continuous cycling infrastructure.

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marvin
Just to flaunt my vanity, I thought I'd say that my family (father-side) comes
from Trysil, the small town mentioned, where the KDE guys spend a week hacking
each summer. It's a really beautiful place - desolate, with miles and miles of
pine trees in every direction. I think the place has about 10.000 inhabitants
in summer - although in winter it enjoys its status as the largest ski resort
in Scandinavia. (My trip to eastern China this summer was paid with some of
the cash my family earns from renting out real-estate to ski tourists).

I've never heard the story behind the KDE developer camp up there, but from
years of personal experience it is a great place to go disconnect from
everyday distractions. You can actually be alone up there, while still
enjoying a top-notch standard of living.

