Bike density is way higher in Amsterdam, yet it works well. Then again, in Amsterdam all bikes have brakes and people go at a slower speed.
"Cyclists rule in Amsterdam and great pains have been taken to accommodate them: the city is equipped with an elaborate network of cycle-paths and lanes, so safe and comfortable that even toddlers and elderly people use bikes as the easiest mode of transport."
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/05/amsterdam-bicy...
Worse, it seems that in recently years the city of Amsterdam is set on creating cycle paths in just about all streets but can't be bothered to engineer them properly. So the whole thing becomes a bigger and bigger mess.
I have no problem with cycle lanes, I do have problems with cycle paths. To give a few examples:
Many zebra crossing have traffic lights that only apply to cars. Big mess.
Many cycle paths now have traffic lights placed such that cyclists waiting for a red light block cross traffic (bikes and pedestrians)
On many intersections, taking a left turn with a bike now takes waiting for the traffic light twice.
There are now many cycle paths with bikes on the wrong side of the road. Certainly on roundabouts that's an accident waiting to happen.
In many cases pedestrians overflow from side walks into the cycle path. It used to be that there was nice layer of parked cars preventing that.
Cars taking a right turn are a bigger risk.
A good thing is that parked cars taking off don't hit bikes. But that seems to be it.
On the whole it feels it's very sensibly done and some issues you mentioned I'm not familiar with at all (like crossings having only lights that apply to cars, unless they're super short crossings in relatively quiet streets where lights make no sense. Cyclists blocking traffic is something that happens less and less, too, little islands have been created for the front row, lines for the back row. On the contrary the new designs have improved this point over the past. Of course it's not perfect but specifically I'm not sure what proposals you have that'd be better).
Anyway specific streets/corners as examples would be helpful!
Another nice example of poor design is the intersection Aletta Jacobslaan / Johan Huizinglaan
I agree the corner on Aletta and Johan could be better but it's not terrible if you ask me. For Dutch standards you don't get much bigger intersections and it's relatively well done. I guess a roundabout might be better (like Vlaardingenlaan / Overschiestraat, statistics show they do really well. I'm curious what you suggest to do to improve it?
They do take some getting used to, but then so does everything else about bicycling.
The only thing you're sacrificing is stopping power - but it fits the riding style over there perfectly. Its flat, and nobody is in that big of a hurry.