If I told you there was a new form of transport that would allow travel over great distances without having to maintain a horse or use gas, it would be revolutionary right? I can't help but wish the bicycle had a longer time period between when the safety bike and automobile were invented...
Even in countries where it was widely adopted (look at China), the car has a tremendous appeal.
There are parts of Europe where war and high gas prices didn't drive bicycle use completely underground (despite fairly inclement weather), but it's a tough sell.
Back in 1999 on my first visit to Beijing this was true: there were lanes dedicated to the sea of bicycles that was used for commutes. This sea has mostly disappeared, and many of the bicycle lanes used exclusively for bikes before have turned into a mess of parking and extra car lanes.
Using these lanes today for non-electric biking is very frustrating.
