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Originally Posted by ARModen
Since this thread has already divurged off topic...
You know people always talk bad about the food and motivation of Americans, but I'd bet money that it's our cars that are killing us. So much of this country is so spread out, and so little is covered by any real mass transportation, that you really have to drive everywhere.
. Between walking around campus and walking to and from the bus stops, I probably did 4-5 miles of walking a day. I also rode my bike to school (~5 miles) every so often because it was faster than the bus. This was out in Tucson, and it's the only town I've lived in that has both good mass transit, and bike friendly streets.
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Since I started this thread Ill indulge the divergence. I believe you're spot on. you really do have to drive everywhere in the states. having the public transport setup they have here would be a monstrous undertaking. You can literally go anywhere here by tram, train and foot. And you can set your watches by the trains. insanely reliable. as you suggest, the walking really does pay dividends. What the US lacks most are sidewalks, which you only find in neighborhoods and even then not everywhere. Here, pretty much every road has sidewalks on both sides. I walk about 3 to 4 miles a day all told. mostly by choice. I even walk past three tram stops just because it's so easy here and everyone does it. when you come to a yellow crosswalk (sans crossing light), you do NOT wait for cars. The law says peds have the right of way and cars must stop. It's an eerie feeling, but I'm so used to it now I almost never even look both ways any more (sorry mom!). They really encourage as little use of dino oil and as much walking as possible. At some stop lights, you are asked (read required) to turn your motor off while it's red. Of course, some US cities are doing a decent job with subway lines. It's the urban sprawl that screws things up. If you think the USA is bad, try living in England for a spell. It's a total nightmare to get anywhere.
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