…maybe your experience with “most places” and mine are very different then? I know there ARE roads with bike lanes, some places in the world, I’m just not sure I’ve ever seen them in any of the states I’ve lived in.
Madison is definitely more bicycle-friendly than average here. We have bike trails (once the last bit is finished, I can go from my house to work (~10 km away) without riding along side of a road), roads with bike lanes, and it is generally better for pedestrians. But… even without that, you don’t have city planners in places actively trying to /prevent/ bicycle travel in most places around the US.