Living Car Free - Living Car-free in South Korea

I will be moving to South Korea for a job teaching English in the end of Feb. I know that they have an excellent bus system there that cost around .65 American dollars to ride ANYWHERE. However, I have also heard from many back packing guides that cycling there is the equivalent to suicide since the Koreans do not posses the driving skills of Americans. I always thought Americans sucked at driving though huh? Anyways I was really worried until a friend from the touring forum sent me this article about a bicycle path that is being built that will go around the entire country.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2899564

I have been ashamed of the United States for some time now.... We are supposed to be the leaders in technology and we 0 bullet trains, and the worst public transit imaginable. Someone once pointed out to me that we are a nation of cars so that is to be expected... but we also make some of the worst cars in the world too!

How excited you guys be if Obama announced this same bicycle plan in the USA! I know its a puff dream but let me be pround of my country, at least for a little while, in my head :cry:

Have fun there.

I hear that South Korea has great high speed internet. So don't be a stranger.

VC riding in south korea looked suicidal to me, but there were still plenty of folks doing it. I've only been to seoul and surrounding areas, but there were good bike paths everywhere, so you didn't really have to worry too much about riding in the street. Seemingly, the only downside to the bike paths is that many of them are built alongside rivers and do occasionally flood. So when that happens, its the bus for you.

However, I have also heard from many back packing guides that cycling there is the equivalent to suicide since the Koreans do not posses the driving skills of Americans.

:eek:

Zeppinger, this has to be urban myth. Wish you the best and don't forget the url (http://www.bikeforums.net)