Hey, sorry for the late reply. I actually work in an adjacent field so I think I’m decently qualified to speak on the infrastructure here. Firstly, I am in one of the larger metropolitan areas of the US. We are completely dependent on cars. We have a couple of train tracks but the pricing, limited destinations, and limited run times kill any chance they have of converting the masses, myself included. We have no plans for more mass transit and no plans to improve current mass transit. While they are making an attempt to make the area more bike friendly, the zoning laws effectively make these changes impossible as places you would typically travel to are too far from your place of residence. These zoning laws don’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
The real problem with my area specifically, but America as a whole is just the vastness. Due to the sheer amount of space we have, there is urban sprawl everywhere. Why live on top of one another when everyone can get a little space and we can destroy all of the beautiful nature around us and pave over paradise?
As a personal anecdote, by American terms I live close to work and VERY close to the grocery store. Store is a 20 minute walk one way and work would take me hours to get to… or I can hop in a car, be at the store in under a minute and to work in 10
Edit: and unfortunately I would love a motorcycle but due to licensing requirements (or lack thereof for motorists) and the appalling infrastructure, it is just too unsafe to justify a motorcycle of any kind.
This is me in Argentina right now. I don’t want to, but houses scarcity is forcing me and lots of others to move fast away from the capitals on search of affordable housing and the lack of transportation from the capital to the suburbs is basically forcing people to buy more expensive as fuck cars
Hey, sorry for the late reply. I actually work in an adjacent field so I think I’m decently qualified to speak on the infrastructure here. Firstly, I am in one of the larger metropolitan areas of the US. We are completely dependent on cars. We have a couple of train tracks but the pricing, limited destinations, and limited run times kill any chance they have of converting the masses, myself included. We have no plans for more mass transit and no plans to improve current mass transit. While they are making an attempt to make the area more bike friendly, the zoning laws effectively make these changes impossible as places you would typically travel to are too far from your place of residence. These zoning laws don’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
The real problem with my area specifically, but America as a whole is just the vastness. Due to the sheer amount of space we have, there is urban sprawl everywhere. Why live on top of one another when everyone can get a little space and we can destroy all of the beautiful nature around us and pave over paradise?
As a personal anecdote, by American terms I live close to work and VERY close to the grocery store. Store is a 20 minute walk one way and work would take me hours to get to… or I can hop in a car, be at the store in under a minute and to work in 10
Edit: and unfortunately I would love a motorcycle but due to licensing requirements (or lack thereof for motorists) and the appalling infrastructure, it is just too unsafe to justify a motorcycle of any kind.
This is me in Argentina right now. I don’t want to, but houses scarcity is forcing me and lots of others to move fast away from the capitals on search of affordable housing and the lack of transportation from the capital to the suburbs is basically forcing people to buy more expensive as fuck cars