The difference between cycling infrastructure in Europe and America comes down to public perception and acceptance.
In Europe, the bicycle was embraced early as a form of transportation. European urban areas have the same, and some would say greater infrastructure challenges as America, but they understand that it's just common sense to separate motor vehicle traffic from other vulnerable road users, so they find a way to do it. They also understand that you can't put a separate path everywhere, interaction is inevitable, and respect is given. Families generally have one motor vehicle, but everyone, no matter what their age, that can ride a bicycle has one. They are used almost daily for commuting and running errands.
In America, the bicycle is viewed, at best, as a toy, and at worst, a menace by anyone that does not ride one regularly, which is the vast majority of the population. The introduction and expansion of rail trails have been a brilliant way to build a separate infrastructure, but they cost a lot of money to build, and require constant maintenance, just like roads. However, they are the equivalent of the interstate highway system. They can get you safely from one town to the next, but eventually, you need to get off of them, and that's when the problems show up. Urban bicycle infrastructure was jammed down the taxpayer's throats. Taking lanes for bicycles in crowded urban areas is insane. Those painted lines offer zero protection, increase congestion, and create rage for the motor vehicle operators. For the most part, the "safe space" is ignored by standing motor vehicles, rideshare drivers, and delivery trucks, forcing the rider out into the very traffic that they were designed to avoid. That rage has driven complacency. Whenever a rider is maimed or killed by a motor vehicle, it's always the rider's fault. The first question that is always asked is, "Were they wearing a helmet?", as if that had anything to do with how the incident occurred. In short, bicycles are not viewed as a legitimate form of transportation. The introduction of electric scooters, skateboards, and motorcycles has only made everything worse.
Nothing will change in America until the general public accepts bicycles as a shared road user because they are a legitimate form of transportation. If every motor vehicle on the road was replaced with an EV, nothing changes. It's what's inside the head of the driver that counts, not the vehicle.
en.wikipedia.org
