The grass on the other side is greener....
It's quite easy to look favourably on foreign infrastructure and prefer it, especially when on holidays
As to the OP, I found that close passes freaked me out simply because I was not in control. All of a sudden something would pass me, shocking me and making me intensely aware of my vulnerability.
I rectified that with a mirror - much easier to be aware of who was coming up behind me. It really added to my cycling enjoyment.
The ironic thing was that that was in NL and the close passes came from guys (nearly always guys) racing their bikes!
I wouldn't move to a country simply for cycling but it would be a factor in wherever I do chose to live ( currently of no fixed abode as they say
).
I love cycling in France - but I don't think I could live there!
I lived in NL for 20 years and the cycling structure is fantastic! But it's not for everyone.
Rush hour in a big, old city like Amsterdam can be a nightmare - Rotterdam on the other hand is much better.
The country is mainly flat, can be boring and headwinds can be ..... fun
It is really set up for utility cycling rather than road or racing. I'd imagine trying to chase down segments can get very frustrating on busy cycle paths.
However, I do recall leaving work at 6 am facing into a 21km commute after about 20cm of snow falling and being amazed that the cycle paths were cleared of snow before the roads!
By the way, the Dutch have such a good infrastructure because of foresight but there was huge amounts of conflict back in the sixties when infrastructure started going in.