What we have in The Netherlands is considerd to be among the best infrastructures on the planet. You actually need to use navigation inside cities. This is a side effect of being obsessed with making laws and regulations.

Am I the only one getting 'psychopaths' from "cycle paths"? Lmao. ?

The will of the people! We don't have that here. A land that is flat and no larger than most of our states. So, federal policies make hardly any sense here. States need to step up. We have some good transportation policies in cities.
And the big one:" It's not just your car; it's your freedom" The most insidious advertising slogan ever.
insidious: adjective
proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.

I blame the lack of funding for mental health ....

I have cycled in The Netherlands and felt totally safe, even in the cities. I rarely cycle on public roads in the UK. We have a network of cycle tracks and a govt body called Sustrans which is providing cycling tracks but it is so underfunded that it is a very slow process.

And it is a point of pride that they speak English.

Simple common sense. I advocated for similar 25 years ago in the town that I lived in. As usual I was ignored. In the twelve months just ended a week ago 350 people were killed in road fatalities in that state. The city I lived in claimed to have the busiest traffic emergency unit in the state.