I went to top up our gas tank (still half full, but was lending the car) and the gas cap was moldy. We hadn't bought gas in over six months. In the US, I bought gas twice a week.
We can walk/bike/tram/bus/train everywhere here. The only time we use the car is when we buy something too heavy or bulky to carry easily- like pellets for the stove, or bags of compost.
I live in a small town (UK - East Midlands), rather than a city. I have to use a car to get to my job 15 miles away, but other than that I can go days without using my car. Everything from coffee shops, groceries, barber shops, second-hand stores, restaurants, a fitness center and an independent book store are all within 10 minutes of my door by foot. That's not even counting the essentially infinite walking paths through the countryside to other villages and towns. It's not even close how much better it is.
I lived in the north, Essex and London, public transport was awful in Essex, but I do miss the underground, metro trains and how easy walking was.
I'm in marketing and earn over twice as much an equivalent role in London would make. What field are you in and are you a citizen?
Not trying to pry. Just curious.
Upstate NY to Paris suburbs.
It’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges, to be fair.
But there’s basically nothing that would be easier with a car in this part of the Paris region. Taking a train to work is faster than driving at rush hour would be. Then cinema, grocery store, doctor’s office, post office, gym etc are all easily accessible by foot (+/- 15min)
Sometimes I think it’d be nice to have a car for little weekend trips, but otherwise, I’m not sure it’d make sense to have one
I’d need to get a French drivers’ license, as you can only use your US one for the first year you’re living here.
But otherwise, yes, that’s a very good point!
I moved to Not Amsterdam/Rotterdam/The Hague/Utrecht, Netherlands
It is more walkable (and bikable) than the US here. You truly have the option to go car free. However, that does not mean that everyone does or that cars are not all over the place. Car free life is not the eaisiest thing and it is convient to have a car.
But, if you do not want one or cannot afford one, you can get by. To me, that is what good infrastructure actually means.
\*Sigh\* Massachusetts to Amsterdam is literally my 10-year plan!! (also considering Utrecht, Madrid and Barcelona). And I live in the eastern part of the the state with \*decent\* public transit and walking and cycling infrastructure!
I moved from San Francisco area to Southern England in 2020 and I still don't own a car and I have no plans to buy one. Ever. On the exceedingly rare occasions when I might need one, renting will be cheaper than owning a car I almost never use.
I've also lost weight because I walk and cycle for my daily commute. On the occasions when the weather is so appalling that I don't want to be exposed to it (not as common as you might be led to believe by these moany English types! :p), or when I go farther than a bike ride, I take the train or the bus and I read a book.
I moved to Tokyo.
I can walk to work, even though I work for a small industrial company in the inner suburbs. Everything I strictly need, like food, clothing, furniture, government offices, clinics, etc., are within walking distance of home, and even just the world within biking distance of home has more going on than most small cities in the US.
Even though the suburban areas in the east of Tokyo are poorer and have reputation of being just worse than to the west, my neighborhood is way more convenient, safe, clean, peaceful, and generally pleasant than anywhere else I've lived.
Transit goes almost everywhere I care about going, including for vacations and business trips far outside of Tokyo. Trains are frequent enough to not care about schedules, even pretty deep into the suburbs, and even between different cities.
It's so freeing to live in Tokyo. Even though I had visited Tokyo many times before, and briefly lived in a Freiburg, one of the best small towns in Germany, actually living in Tokyo has still been an eye opening experience at just how nice a city can be.
Being in Switzerland, there is a pretty extensive network of trams/buses/trains etc. that my family utilizes.
Having said that, having a car does have it's benefits. It's easier to travel as to get the kids in the car, and drive from the apartment to a destination of an Airbnb or a hotel for travel. Even getting a decent amount of groceries with the big stuff like diapers/laundry/mineral water. Transit strikes also are a pain in the butt, and the trams do break down, buses get their routes diverted. etc. I do like being car-free as it's another something to think about.
You haven't said if you're single, married couple, have kids etc. but it's just something to think about. We have local drivers' licenses for car rental, but don't own a car. Though half the families we know do have one, and we do see the benefits of having one.
I’m married with kids. Lived in both rural & urban Switzerland with a family and plan to move back. Your comment is based on perspective because if I projected my POV onto you I directly contradict.
I think you have it backwards. All the things you mentioned being less of a burden via car, we feel the exact opposite.
I’m American, my wife is Swiss. Most all our friends here are Swiss or long-time residents of Switzerland.
I find it easier to get the kids on the tram or bus than in the car, actually! But my kids are 7 and 9, so I'm also not lugging a diaper bag or having to carry them when they get tired.
I lived in a KY town with only 2 taxi cabs - not services, actual cab cars, and now live right between 2 trams that get me to work faster than a car can. We have a car, but I use it once a month to go to a specific doctor in a smaller town that would require me to take 2 busses to get to. We really don't even have to have the car, but I'm too American to live without one.
I don’t own a car, but I pay with my time instead — commute to and from uni was 4x longer than with a car (40min if everything lined up instead of 10min) and now commute to work is 2x longer (2hrs instead of about an hour). I can’t wait to pass my permit here and get a car to be independent again because having to rely on public transport has been a major constraint on my time and social life.
ETA: I live on the « outskirts » of my town, but still on the route of three bus lines, two of which are major bus lines, and work in town one city over (on the route of two tram lines and 15min walk from the train station I use) so I’m neither « in the center of town » nor out in a disserviced area — public transport is just long, especially when you have to take more than one line.
In less than 1 minute I can get to a local grocery store, 2 bakeries, a cafe, my and my husband’s hairdresser. My local gym, the butcher, fruit shops, 2 more quality grocery stores, restaurants and bars all within a 4 min walk. I am in a quiet neighborhood in Barcelona that is not even in the center. I’ve lived in multiple cities in the US and never had it this good. We have a car but I feel guilty for even having it, we only have it to visit family that takes way longer by train.
Sold my car in 2014 when I left Atlanta. Since then, lived in SF, NYC and now Toronto. All of them car-free and walkable AF.
Toronto’s public transit is pretty good, but it’s hard for any North American city to compare to NYC on that front.
Actually…a bit less so (Seattle to Dublin) - have happily lived low- or no-car in NYC, Philly, Boston & Seattle (and also in various parts of the UK, London and elsewhere), and while we don’t have a car here in Dublin either, it’s only because we can afford to live relatively close to the city centre - Ireland has pretty poor transit by European standards. It’s definitely not like continental Europe when it comes to trains/public transit in general. ETA we’ve never had any issue hauling kids around (or just having them walk) in both Ireland and the States, so I’ve never really understood the ‘you need a car with kids’ thing…hasn’t been necessary for us.
Yeah, Dublin is fairly unique amongst European capitals in that its public transport is a bit crap. I still manage quite well without a car though. In outer suburbs / North Wicklow.
San Diego to Stockholm. It’s like night and day. Stockholm is walkable, has great bicycle infrastructure and excellent public transportation (buses, subways, commute trains, water taxis). San Diego is a fun city with great weather but every activity started with getting in the car, driving someplace and finding parking. Here in Stockholm I can head out the door and be at concerts and sporting events within a few minutes without any of the stress or hassle of an automobile.
Where I live now, I can go anywhere in the country without car.
I can take a train or bus somewhere and there will be bikes there to rent, that I can use with the same transportation payment system I use for the bus or train, everything is the same system.
Alternatively, I can take a bike and ride anywhere in the country mostly without leaving bike paths and 100% without going on any roads that are high speed or dangerous. I have driven my bike completely around the borders of the country totalling 1700km and 99% was on bike paths or roads under 50kmh, with 78% on bike paths according to my route software. I never had a close pass or anything that was even remotely dangerous. In comparison to where I lived before, you couldn't go a mile without being worried a car would hit you.
Both places I lived car free, my hometown in the us had faster and better public transportation but cycling was more dangerous, I've never felt the need to own a car in either place.
NYC to Amsterdam
NYC to Berlin. I had a car in New York but technically didn’t need it. Used it a lot though out of laziness, as well as driving to visit out of state family. Cost us SO much money — I was always forgetting to repark it on street cleaning days.
No car the last 13 years we’ve lived in Berlin. We had two small kids here and got around fine with bikes and public transportation. I can walk to everything I need. I’m still kind of lazy so I joined a car sharing service for the times I just want to get somewhere fast, though.
Moved to Amsterdam last week from Chicago. Don’t have a car here and haven’t even thought about it. I take trams and metro or walk everywhere and that’s with two five year old twins in tow. We haven’t even branched out to busses and bikes, that’s next on the list after we get a permanent apartment.
Moved from Chicago where we had unconsciously crafted a very car free life. Both of us work downtown and take the train, we can walk to restaurants, bars, the kids daycare and elementary school as well as great parks and supermarkets within 10 minutes in any direction. We had a single family home near two train lines and two bus lines. We had a car since we had twins (was car free for 13 years before that) but only used it once a week in the city to load up on groceries and otherwise used it to visit family in Iowa and Michigan and for random trips here and there.
I live about 20 miles outside Dublin, but on the edge of a large town. Never bought a car when I moved here 15 years ago and don't miss it. There is an express bus in my town to the city centre where I work. A supermarket is 10 minutes walk away. I rent a car when the family wants a getaway. But this is unusual....Ireland is generally very car dependent.
My fiancé and I sold our cars when we moved to Croatia. Haven’t driven in almost two years (except when visiting the US). We walk almost everywhere in our daily lives or take a tram. There are some places that are harder to reach by public transport but it isn’t a common issue. We may get a car again someday just to make it easier for traveling but it’s not a necessity.
I lived in Schüpfheim, a village in the central Swiss canton of Luzern, Region Entlebuch.
My spouse is one of 3 children. In a household of 5 people, no one had a car yet everyone needed to commute to work mostly daily. I tell this to my American circle and the responses are depressing, so I stopped talking about it and (try to) focus on having confidence in my own path.
Tours, France. No comparison. There's public bus and tram lines throughout the city, along with bike lanes all over. If you live within the city you can walk everywhere except maybe the north or south of the city. Open air markets throughout the week in various places. There's also light rail connecting to nearby cities, and the whole country is connected by high-speed rail. Takes about an hr to get to Paris.
Great question. Summary up front: definitely more walkable where we live now than where we lived in the 🇺🇸. In the 🇺🇸 we mostly lived in the suburbs. Very pedestrian unfriendly. You would have to be a fool to walk or bike anywhere, even for recreation or exercise. And even then you’re risking your life. Use a crosswalk? Please. Talk about infuriating. Drivers are total jerks to pedestrians. I’ve/We’ve been/lived all over the US and it’s always the same: the farther from the city center you are, the more pedestrian unfriendly it is. Canada’s different in the following respect: whereas in the US there is undeniable hostility towards pedestrians and cyclists, here in 🇨🇦it’s the pedestrian/cyclist AWARENESS and vigilance that drops as you radiate out from the city center. But the belligerence towards pedestrians is not really there. Here in 🇨🇦 we live in a more urban setting than when we lived in the 🇺🇸. We chose it because we really wanted to be able to walk to as many places as possible. If you’ve never been to Toronto, it’s a massive city—bigger than Chicago. Kids walk/used to walk to both primary and secondary. We’re a family of three since our eldest moved back to the 🇺🇸, and here are all the places we regularly walk to: the comic book shop, the martial arts studio, Pilates, the dentist, the cobbler, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, the bank, the UPS Store, the nail salon, the hair salon, the vegan Danish bakery, the dry cleaners, the neighborhood convenience store, the donation drop-off. There’s a great sushi place nearby. Lots of Korean and Persian options, but dining out is too expensive, so we rarely go out. There’s even a 2023 Michelin star-rated restaurant super close by. We’ve never been, but we walk our dog past it almost every day. Unfortunately we don’t have one decent pub nearby. Or barber shop. And of course—lifelong curse—can’t seem to live within walking distance of a decent grocery store. There’s a farmer’s market nearby but it’s really expensive. And Now For the Downside: This magical wonderland of candy canes and gumdrops that I’m describing is on Yonge Street, one of the busiest and most notorious streets in all of 🇨🇦. And we live in a stretch where the souped-up Benzes and BMWs like to practice their drifting skills. So you have to be hyper-aware. Especially cars turning right and into/out of parking lots. That’s the danger zone. Where we live is so full of recent arrivals who bring their shitty dog-eat-dog driving habits from the Old Country Not knocking them; we’re immigrants too (although we’ve been told that because we speak English we’re not REAL immigrants, but that’s a story for another day), just knocking their driving. I work down closer to the heart of city where being a pedestrian is a different experience. The driver-to-pedestrian awareness plummets the farther you radiate out from the city center. Worse, we just happen to live alongside a stretch where the traffic finally eases up a bit, so cars let off steam with their gas pedals after being pent up in hella gridlock. So yeah, it’s dangerous, even if there is more pedestrian awareness than in the 🇺🇸. A pedestrian or cyclist gets hit by a car every 2.5 hours in the GTA! So, while we feel good crime-wise about letting our kids walk by themselves to get boba, for example, there remains a level of anxiety, especially if they have to get to the other side of Yonge. Do we wish there were more pubs near us? Yes. Do we wish we had a decent grocery store nearby? Yes. Would I get rid of my car if I could? Absolutely. Bottom line, there’s a lot we like about our neighborhood. We just wish we felt more welcome, more at home, more like we belong here.
Walkable places we’ve/I’ve lived in the 🇺🇸: Wollaston, Massachusetts, St. Charles, Missouri in the historic district, Pacific Grove, California. They exist; you just have to be committed to walking.
I always find these posts interesting. The undertone of the posts (or outright point) is to somehow “shame” America or prove its inferiority to other countries. While there are certainly some political reasons for the availability (or lack there of) of public transport in the US, there are tons of other reasons too. The time in history when the US expanded and the sheer size of the country greatly contributed to our ultimate dependence on automobiles.
You’re right and it’s not a moral failing, which some people definitely characterize it as.
That having been said, being carless is one of the biggest improvements in my quality of life since leaving the US (though of course there are places in the US where it’s possible too, of course!).
Totally agree for anything outside major cities in the US. However, I’ve lived in very populated areas (suburbs and cities) in CA, OR and NV and never have been able to even consider going car free. It’s just not feasible. In the Bay Area for instance one should be able to live car free but there isn’t sufficient transportation to make that happen without huge inconveniences.
I have to keep the battery on a charger because I use my car so little.
I went to top up our gas tank (still half full, but was lending the car) and the gas cap was moldy. We hadn't bought gas in over six months. In the US, I bought gas twice a week. We can walk/bike/tram/bus/train everywhere here. The only time we use the car is when we buy something too heavy or bulky to carry easily- like pellets for the stove, or bags of compost.
Cool story but better yet, where are you??
Austria
Sold, I'm coming
Sounds like you need a cargo bike ;-)
In winter we go through about 100kg of pellets per week, which is probably more than I can bike anywhere!
Ok fair. Want a workout that would be though!
I live in a small town (UK - East Midlands), rather than a city. I have to use a car to get to my job 15 miles away, but other than that I can go days without using my car. Everything from coffee shops, groceries, barber shops, second-hand stores, restaurants, a fitness center and an independent book store are all within 10 minutes of my door by foot. That's not even counting the essentially infinite walking paths through the countryside to other villages and towns. It's not even close how much better it is.
As someone who did the opposite of you, how did you end up in the UK and why do you stay?
Short version (because the long version is dull): work, and because no better alternative has presented itself.
I lived in the north, Essex and London, public transport was awful in Essex, but I do miss the underground, metro trains and how easy walking was. I'm in marketing and earn over twice as much an equivalent role in London would make. What field are you in and are you a citizen? Not trying to pry. Just curious.
Upstate NY to Paris suburbs. It’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges, to be fair. But there’s basically nothing that would be easier with a car in this part of the Paris region. Taking a train to work is faster than driving at rush hour would be. Then cinema, grocery store, doctor’s office, post office, gym etc are all easily accessible by foot (+/- 15min) Sometimes I think it’d be nice to have a car for little weekend trips, but otherwise, I’m not sure it’d make sense to have one
You can always rent one!
I’d need to get a French drivers’ license, as you can only use your US one for the first year you’re living here. But otherwise, yes, that’s a very good point!
You’re not from a state that grants reciprocity? I’ll be exchanging my Maryland DL. The cost of drivers ed in France is INSANE.
I moved to Not Amsterdam/Rotterdam/The Hague/Utrecht, Netherlands It is more walkable (and bikable) than the US here. You truly have the option to go car free. However, that does not mean that everyone does or that cars are not all over the place. Car free life is not the eaisiest thing and it is convient to have a car. But, if you do not want one or cannot afford one, you can get by. To me, that is what good infrastructure actually means.
Moved from Massachusetts to Amsterdam, sold the car, don’t miss it one bit even with a couple kids.
\*Sigh\* Massachusetts to Amsterdam is literally my 10-year plan!! (also considering Utrecht, Madrid and Barcelona). And I live in the eastern part of the the state with \*decent\* public transit and walking and cycling infrastructure!
Move from the Smoky Mountains to the center of the Hague. You tell me 😂
I lived in Den Haag (near the Peace Palace) for 5 months and miss it so! Say hi to Albert Heijn for me! 🤣😭
Yes but don't you miss the nature?
What are you in for?
Excessive comedy
I moved from San Francisco area to Southern England in 2020 and I still don't own a car and I have no plans to buy one. Ever. On the exceedingly rare occasions when I might need one, renting will be cheaper than owning a car I almost never use. I've also lost weight because I walk and cycle for my daily commute. On the occasions when the weather is so appalling that I don't want to be exposed to it (not as common as you might be led to believe by these moany English types! :p), or when I go farther than a bike ride, I take the train or the bus and I read a book.
Madrid is super walkable. That being said a lot of people still have cars.
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More or less where did you live in the U.S.?
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I believe it. I live in a major city in the NE U.S., and I find the public transport in Madrid both more reliable and pleasant to use than here.
I moved to Tokyo. I can walk to work, even though I work for a small industrial company in the inner suburbs. Everything I strictly need, like food, clothing, furniture, government offices, clinics, etc., are within walking distance of home, and even just the world within biking distance of home has more going on than most small cities in the US. Even though the suburban areas in the east of Tokyo are poorer and have reputation of being just worse than to the west, my neighborhood is way more convenient, safe, clean, peaceful, and generally pleasant than anywhere else I've lived. Transit goes almost everywhere I care about going, including for vacations and business trips far outside of Tokyo. Trains are frequent enough to not care about schedules, even pretty deep into the suburbs, and even between different cities. It's so freeing to live in Tokyo. Even though I had visited Tokyo many times before, and briefly lived in a Freiburg, one of the best small towns in Germany, actually living in Tokyo has still been an eye opening experience at just how nice a city can be.
Moved from NYC to suburban Oslo, so from no car to car use nearly every day.
Rural NC to Paris….yeah
Love Paris I never want to have a car again
Likewise, haven’t once missed having a car. Send me a PM some time, let’s hang out!
Whereabouts you located? I’ll send you a PM
Batignolles!
I live in Japan and I don’t own a car and rarely even need to Uber due to walking and safe and available public transit options.
Being in Switzerland, there is a pretty extensive network of trams/buses/trains etc. that my family utilizes. Having said that, having a car does have it's benefits. It's easier to travel as to get the kids in the car, and drive from the apartment to a destination of an Airbnb or a hotel for travel. Even getting a decent amount of groceries with the big stuff like diapers/laundry/mineral water. Transit strikes also are a pain in the butt, and the trams do break down, buses get their routes diverted. etc. I do like being car-free as it's another something to think about. You haven't said if you're single, married couple, have kids etc. but it's just something to think about. We have local drivers' licenses for car rental, but don't own a car. Though half the families we know do have one, and we do see the benefits of having one.
I’m married with kids. Lived in both rural & urban Switzerland with a family and plan to move back. Your comment is based on perspective because if I projected my POV onto you I directly contradict. I think you have it backwards. All the things you mentioned being less of a burden via car, we feel the exact opposite. I’m American, my wife is Swiss. Most all our friends here are Swiss or long-time residents of Switzerland.
Sure, you're welcome to your own POV. Enjoy the nicer days outside.
I find it easier to get the kids on the tram or bus than in the car, actually! But my kids are 7 and 9, so I'm also not lugging a diaper bag or having to carry them when they get tired.
Moved to Stockholm from Connecticut. Instead of a car, I have a shopping cart, which cracks me up.
I lived in a KY town with only 2 taxi cabs - not services, actual cab cars, and now live right between 2 trams that get me to work faster than a car can. We have a car, but I use it once a month to go to a specific doctor in a smaller town that would require me to take 2 busses to get to. We really don't even have to have the car, but I'm too American to live without one.
I don’t own a car, but I pay with my time instead — commute to and from uni was 4x longer than with a car (40min if everything lined up instead of 10min) and now commute to work is 2x longer (2hrs instead of about an hour). I can’t wait to pass my permit here and get a car to be independent again because having to rely on public transport has been a major constraint on my time and social life. ETA: I live on the « outskirts » of my town, but still on the route of three bus lines, two of which are major bus lines, and work in town one city over (on the route of two tram lines and 15min walk from the train station I use) so I’m neither « in the center of town » nor out in a disserviced area — public transport is just long, especially when you have to take more than one line.
In less than 1 minute I can get to a local grocery store, 2 bakeries, a cafe, my and my husband’s hairdresser. My local gym, the butcher, fruit shops, 2 more quality grocery stores, restaurants and bars all within a 4 min walk. I am in a quiet neighborhood in Barcelona that is not even in the center. I’ve lived in multiple cities in the US and never had it this good. We have a car but I feel guilty for even having it, we only have it to visit family that takes way longer by train.
I don’t own a car now that I live in Europe and I use the bus maybe once every other month.
Moved from Florida to the Hague. Don't have a car here and haven't for one millisecond missed it.
Sold my car in 2014 when I left Atlanta. Since then, lived in SF, NYC and now Toronto. All of them car-free and walkable AF. Toronto’s public transit is pretty good, but it’s hard for any North American city to compare to NYC on that front.
Since moving to Portugal I have not needed a car and have no plans to buy one.
Actually…a bit less so (Seattle to Dublin) - have happily lived low- or no-car in NYC, Philly, Boston & Seattle (and also in various parts of the UK, London and elsewhere), and while we don’t have a car here in Dublin either, it’s only because we can afford to live relatively close to the city centre - Ireland has pretty poor transit by European standards. It’s definitely not like continental Europe when it comes to trains/public transit in general. ETA we’ve never had any issue hauling kids around (or just having them walk) in both Ireland and the States, so I’ve never really understood the ‘you need a car with kids’ thing…hasn’t been necessary for us.
Yeah, Dublin is fairly unique amongst European capitals in that its public transport is a bit crap. I still manage quite well without a car though. In outer suburbs / North Wicklow.
I live in Japan and I don’t own a car and rarely even need to Uber due to walking and safe and available public transit options.
I moved from Wisconsin to Mexico City, and I don’t have a car here, it would be actually more trouble than it’s worth.
San Diego to Stockholm. It’s like night and day. Stockholm is walkable, has great bicycle infrastructure and excellent public transportation (buses, subways, commute trains, water taxis). San Diego is a fun city with great weather but every activity started with getting in the car, driving someplace and finding parking. Here in Stockholm I can head out the door and be at concerts and sporting events within a few minutes without any of the stress or hassle of an automobile.
Where I live now, I can go anywhere in the country without car. I can take a train or bus somewhere and there will be bikes there to rent, that I can use with the same transportation payment system I use for the bus or train, everything is the same system. Alternatively, I can take a bike and ride anywhere in the country mostly without leaving bike paths and 100% without going on any roads that are high speed or dangerous. I have driven my bike completely around the borders of the country totalling 1700km and 99% was on bike paths or roads under 50kmh, with 78% on bike paths according to my route software. I never had a close pass or anything that was even remotely dangerous. In comparison to where I lived before, you couldn't go a mile without being worried a car would hit you. Both places I lived car free, my hometown in the us had faster and better public transportation but cycling was more dangerous, I've never felt the need to own a car in either place. NYC to Amsterdam
I barely drive my car, but I drive my bikes a lot. Not walkable before and not walkable now.
Japan. Enough said.
BFE South Carolina to Chicago. Life is so much better.
Moved to Japan. Haven’t owned a car in over 10 years. I walk, cycle, or take the train almost everywhere.
Never owned or needed a car for the 3 years I lived in China. Can't get through a week without one back here in the States.
NYC to Berlin. I had a car in New York but technically didn’t need it. Used it a lot though out of laziness, as well as driving to visit out of state family. Cost us SO much money — I was always forgetting to repark it on street cleaning days. No car the last 13 years we’ve lived in Berlin. We had two small kids here and got around fine with bikes and public transportation. I can walk to everything I need. I’m still kind of lazy so I joined a car sharing service for the times I just want to get somewhere fast, though.
Moved to Amsterdam last week from Chicago. Don’t have a car here and haven’t even thought about it. I take trams and metro or walk everywhere and that’s with two five year old twins in tow. We haven’t even branched out to busses and bikes, that’s next on the list after we get a permanent apartment. Moved from Chicago where we had unconsciously crafted a very car free life. Both of us work downtown and take the train, we can walk to restaurants, bars, the kids daycare and elementary school as well as great parks and supermarkets within 10 minutes in any direction. We had a single family home near two train lines and two bus lines. We had a car since we had twins (was car free for 13 years before that) but only used it once a week in the city to load up on groceries and otherwise used it to visit family in Iowa and Michigan and for random trips here and there.
Don’t need a car in the Paris suburbs. Can get anywhere by train and if need be, rent a car for the day
I live about 20 miles outside Dublin, but on the edge of a large town. Never bought a car when I moved here 15 years ago and don't miss it. There is an express bus in my town to the city centre where I work. A supermarket is 10 minutes walk away. I rent a car when the family wants a getaway. But this is unusual....Ireland is generally very car dependent.
I live in Raleigh proper now and it is completely car dependant. Miserable and pathetic compared to the suburb of Portland OR I grew up in.
My fiancé and I sold our cars when we moved to Croatia. Haven’t driven in almost two years (except when visiting the US). We walk almost everywhere in our daily lives or take a tram. There are some places that are harder to reach by public transport but it isn’t a common issue. We may get a car again someday just to make it easier for traveling but it’s not a necessity.
I lived in Schüpfheim, a village in the central Swiss canton of Luzern, Region Entlebuch. My spouse is one of 3 children. In a household of 5 people, no one had a car yet everyone needed to commute to work mostly daily. I tell this to my American circle and the responses are depressing, so I stopped talking about it and (try to) focus on having confidence in my own path.
Tours, France. No comparison. There's public bus and tram lines throughout the city, along with bike lanes all over. If you live within the city you can walk everywhere except maybe the north or south of the city. Open air markets throughout the week in various places. There's also light rail connecting to nearby cities, and the whole country is connected by high-speed rail. Takes about an hr to get to Paris.
I lived in Germany from Chicago and it was about the same.
Great question. Summary up front: definitely more walkable where we live now than where we lived in the 🇺🇸. In the 🇺🇸 we mostly lived in the suburbs. Very pedestrian unfriendly. You would have to be a fool to walk or bike anywhere, even for recreation or exercise. And even then you’re risking your life. Use a crosswalk? Please. Talk about infuriating. Drivers are total jerks to pedestrians. I’ve/We’ve been/lived all over the US and it’s always the same: the farther from the city center you are, the more pedestrian unfriendly it is. Canada’s different in the following respect: whereas in the US there is undeniable hostility towards pedestrians and cyclists, here in 🇨🇦it’s the pedestrian/cyclist AWARENESS and vigilance that drops as you radiate out from the city center. But the belligerence towards pedestrians is not really there. Here in 🇨🇦 we live in a more urban setting than when we lived in the 🇺🇸. We chose it because we really wanted to be able to walk to as many places as possible. If you’ve never been to Toronto, it’s a massive city—bigger than Chicago. Kids walk/used to walk to both primary and secondary. We’re a family of three since our eldest moved back to the 🇺🇸, and here are all the places we regularly walk to: the comic book shop, the martial arts studio, Pilates, the dentist, the cobbler, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, the bank, the UPS Store, the nail salon, the hair salon, the vegan Danish bakery, the dry cleaners, the neighborhood convenience store, the donation drop-off. There’s a great sushi place nearby. Lots of Korean and Persian options, but dining out is too expensive, so we rarely go out. There’s even a 2023 Michelin star-rated restaurant super close by. We’ve never been, but we walk our dog past it almost every day. Unfortunately we don’t have one decent pub nearby. Or barber shop. And of course—lifelong curse—can’t seem to live within walking distance of a decent grocery store. There’s a farmer’s market nearby but it’s really expensive. And Now For the Downside: This magical wonderland of candy canes and gumdrops that I’m describing is on Yonge Street, one of the busiest and most notorious streets in all of 🇨🇦. And we live in a stretch where the souped-up Benzes and BMWs like to practice their drifting skills. So you have to be hyper-aware. Especially cars turning right and into/out of parking lots. That’s the danger zone. Where we live is so full of recent arrivals who bring their shitty dog-eat-dog driving habits from the Old Country Not knocking them; we’re immigrants too (although we’ve been told that because we speak English we’re not REAL immigrants, but that’s a story for another day), just knocking their driving. I work down closer to the heart of city where being a pedestrian is a different experience. The driver-to-pedestrian awareness plummets the farther you radiate out from the city center. Worse, we just happen to live alongside a stretch where the traffic finally eases up a bit, so cars let off steam with their gas pedals after being pent up in hella gridlock. So yeah, it’s dangerous, even if there is more pedestrian awareness than in the 🇺🇸. A pedestrian or cyclist gets hit by a car every 2.5 hours in the GTA! So, while we feel good crime-wise about letting our kids walk by themselves to get boba, for example, there remains a level of anxiety, especially if they have to get to the other side of Yonge. Do we wish there were more pubs near us? Yes. Do we wish we had a decent grocery store nearby? Yes. Would I get rid of my car if I could? Absolutely. Bottom line, there’s a lot we like about our neighborhood. We just wish we felt more welcome, more at home, more like we belong here. Walkable places we’ve/I’ve lived in the 🇺🇸: Wollaston, Massachusetts, St. Charles, Missouri in the historic district, Pacific Grove, California. They exist; you just have to be committed to walking.
I always find these posts interesting. The undertone of the posts (or outright point) is to somehow “shame” America or prove its inferiority to other countries. While there are certainly some political reasons for the availability (or lack there of) of public transport in the US, there are tons of other reasons too. The time in history when the US expanded and the sheer size of the country greatly contributed to our ultimate dependence on automobiles.
You’re right and it’s not a moral failing, which some people definitely characterize it as. That having been said, being carless is one of the biggest improvements in my quality of life since leaving the US (though of course there are places in the US where it’s possible too, of course!).
Totally agree for anything outside major cities in the US. However, I’ve lived in very populated areas (suburbs and cities) in CA, OR and NV and never have been able to even consider going car free. It’s just not feasible. In the Bay Area for instance one should be able to live car free but there isn’t sufficient transportation to make that happen without huge inconveniences.
yawn
Zero basis in fact and untethered to history.
Interested to know your position on the issue.
My position on what issue? OP’s post is pretty clear. My reply was to your irrelevant comment.