However, biking in the rainy, cold, northern Europe is anything but glorious. Yes, it's very nice in the summer, it's the remaining 9 months that are bad. Let's just say that the overwhelming majority of the people I see biking in Copenhagen don't seem to enjoy it very much. I bet the majority of them would really want a car instead, but chose not to get one because of the very high price due to the extra tax.
Let us not exaggerate. Biking in northern Europe is OK -- if the roads are ploughed, you have the right clothes and winter tyres (2 * 60 Euro for my bike, shudder. Damn thieves.)
The "right clothes" is admittedly a bit much this week, when it is below minus 10 Celsius. Sigh, maybe I should look for a job down south, in warm and sunny Copenhagen.
>>I bet the majority of them would really want a car instead
I bike because I need the exercise. I won't get a car until I live so I get enough exercise anyway.
This wouldn't work in Norway. Only 35% of the population live in the larger cities, I know lots of people who have a 60km (~35 miles) commute. Hell, I even know people who get on a plane daily to go to work.
Denmark is also damn flat, at least compared to Norway, which is more "mountainy", like Switzerland.
Maybe it won't work for as many people as in Copenhagen, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work and wouldn't work for a lot more people than presently.