[telegraph.hill]

What is the "culture" about transport where you live? Is it acceptable to walk from place to place, or does everyone go by car?

If this seems like a funny question, the reason I ask it is that I have noticed that attitudes towards transportation vary from country to country.

Where I live, in England, even car owners will walk a 15-20 minute journey, because it is not considered to be "worth it" to get the car out, and also because people like the exercise. However, when I was in Canada and the US, I noticed that people tend not to walk, even if their destination is just down the road. In North America, it seems like walking is somehow "not quite the done thing", and if you do not have a car with you, you are seen as a bit strange.

In the European Union bus and train travel is fairly common, and in Japan too. But I noticed in North America that there are fewer buses and trains.

[Matc]

I'm not so sure about the exercise thing anymore, we're the fatest country in Europe now I don't own a car

[horselover]

Since I am limited in where I can go, I rely on walking(horrible in the winter), and taking transit. When I do get a car, I will be using it for simple things like grocery shopping(if there's no store in walking distance), and probably to go to work. I'll finally be able to leave the city and go places with a car. Of course, I'll be careful in choosing my car, as I want something fuel efficient and that produces the least emissions. I may have to resort to a cheap used car for now, which will blow my careful choosing out the window. :'(

[shadowbot]

Around the cape cod area in massachusetts, (U.S.A) There is plenty of parking and parking on any street overnight is perfectly legal. (unlike the city) You never have to follow someone walking through the parking lot to try and get their spot. Needless to say people will get in the car to drive to the store which may only be a 2 minute walk away. Public transportation is non-existant there is no subway or bus system and you will die of starvation before you see a taxi drive by. The taxis work on an on-call basis only. The only people who walk are the ones doing it for exercise.

[cats3]

Here in the USA we use about 25-30% of the world's resources.
In a lot of places, there is either a patchwork public transport system or none.
Not many places have wide bicycle lanes as in Denmark. Many bus shelters are none-existent and this is a problem in cold wet areas. Many drivers, here in NJ, don't seem to believe the law that pedestrians have the right of way (although, of course, there are those polite souls who do).

I have a Vietnamese friend who came here via Germany. She says people look at her oddly for walking and frequently offer her rides for even very short trips on warm sunny days. She says more people walk in Germany.

I think some cultures dress more appropriately for the weather and hence walk more as in Finland. I have a Finnish friend. Here, people tend to dress for walking as far as the car in their driveway. I really can't get over the women I see wearing high heels to work. If they have to walk, I feel for their feet.

If folks stop purchasing those kinds of shoes, manufacturers will stop supplying them. Perhaps men could not encourage women to dress like that?

It's one thing to be a ballet dancer and have proper training and it's another to be an ordinary person.

Great posture and a healthy outlook are very attractive to me.

[jayL]

This may sound a bit odd to some. I live in the Philippines and the two wheel ride (motorcycles) somehow is generating quite an audience for the past 3 years. Eversince Honda Prestige of Japan launched their entry level 100cc to 125cc scooters and motorcycles, people begin to see advantages of these new rides.

I myself owns a 100cc black Honda (wave 100 model) and the day I bought it, I knew for a fact that my decision was worth the investment. The full tank on my new ride is around $2 and will give me around 40 to 50 km. I live in an area where heavy traffic is the norm during rush hours and runing around the highways with just two wheels gave me the advantage of saving more time travelling than waiting in line for the green light to blink.

[horselover]

That's cool jay. But what's it like in the winter? I don't know much about the climate where you are, so that's why I ask.

[jayL]

It's hot here for a fact compared to the US. When my parents both live in California and when they visited last year, that was around November till early December, they complained bec it was still to warm. So I guess the winter here is like an ordinary afternoon in the US.

Summer would really be the problem. Real hot, but we're used to it.

[horselover]

I know I would love it. I love the heat.

[Nicole107]

Your right, in Canada, innless you live in a heavily populated place, (I live near Vancouver.) then you hardly ever see people walking. Very few ride there bikes. The problem here is the weather is so terrible that even in the middle of summer we get the occasional rain storm. My mum's always saying "Your not going to melt," but I'm not one for getting soaking wet.

I think it'd be lovely if we had a better public transportation system. In Vancouver they use the sky train a lot but out in the valley, basically the only way to get around is by car. Fuel efficient cars are great but there also usually expensive. The one thing I thought was a really good idea was trolleys, they might be brining them back. (like the ones in San Francisco.) In fact Vancouver did use to have the whole trolley system. Guess who it got bought out buy? The fuel companies. Heh, and now as fossile fules are getting low these trolley's are coming back. History always seems to reapet itself. A comforting and scary thought at the same time.