The automobile centric nature of US population centers is a huge problem, especially to motorists, ironically. The more automobile centric a location is, the more unstable it becomes in rough economy. The more prone volume related delays are & crashes to happen as well. When you have a certain balance of transit, walk-ability, and bike conscious laws and mindsets, often not in the city or population center, but farther to where it thins out a bit, people tend to be less stressed and the economy ofthe area less unstable in rough times. In short, transportation equality is a cornerstone of a stable society, both from a civic and economic standpoint. In europe they had small, diverse economies and diverse population center types (metropolis vs remote/rural) that transportation equality was required from roman times on to sustain those economies & communities. Here in the US you have towns where everything is 15+ miles away with no means of leaving aside from automobile. This is not a sustainable or viable community model any longer, because you concentrate consumption, with little to no local production ie made and consumed locally. Sure, some of these towns are surrounded by crops & they export the crops, but little of the crops if any are used locally for local economic exploitation. I feel that if smaller communities were tied together via safe, affordable, frequent regional transit, you would see our economy stabalizem our government become less vitriolic, and people be healthier and less likely to go shoot up a school or off themselves due to anger and.or hopelessness. It;s like they are trapped, in some places.

There are roads all around this region with no shoulder and the edge of the pavement is broken down, so riding becomes less about skill and more about hoping you'll see the 3 foot cave-in that is 2 feet deep in time to steer around it AND not get hit by motorists. As i sad above, transportation equality has taken not just a back seat here in the US, it's been left behind entirely.

- Andy

Have you read about the Garden City concept?

I've recently spent some time in the second Garden City in England and it's an interesting concept.

Garden city movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WGC ... interesting place as most of the pharma/biotech in the UK is located there ... very interesting layout ... very interesting people displaced from London at the beginning that have evolved independently for 50+ years :)

Welwyn Garden City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Has it been mentioned that more than a few U.S. employers actively discriminate against car free job candidates. I know hiring managers personally who require not just valid drivers ID but actual proof of car ownership before they will move forward in the hiring process. If you have to have a car to get the job you want you will probably use it to get to work. Start showing up on a bicycle and you get put on the flake track. That will most definitely NOT be the case in an EU country. That's huge right there.

Of course.

Instead, in some countries one needs a photo, age, sex, marital status, number of children and parental profession instead of a driver's license.

Lebenslauf ? Wikipedia

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414372

edit: before you ask, i have no idea what the 10-finger-system is.

That's great!

They are telling you right up front that they are opinionated morons and that you won't be happy there.

Think of the time and misery you have saved.

I wouldn't trade my Greenway trip for anything I've seen in the videos of European commuting.

Why Acid... it sounds as if you might prefer a little American style autochauvanism to what I assume you feel to be excessive personal scrutiny on the part of European employers. I am HWP, heterosexual, have 3 children and my spouse is gainfully employed. I've got better marketability... what about age... when is old tooo old? Not to fear, its a rhetorical question. To see the slightest criticism on your part of the hallowed EU... priceless. May this moment be seared indelibly into my long term memory storage...

Only the less-educated get burdened. The EU provides an excellent for those with highly marketable skills. I was just demonstrating that the argument you made wasn't totally relevant. It does have significant merit, but needs to be refined for effect.

I should state the I don't dislike all American things/icons/items/ideologies ... in fact, I was recently here, which was an excellent game!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414389

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My experience in Italy is that drivers are much more considerate (Rome excepted) of people riding bicycles than drivers in the U.S. or London. Interestingly, outside of London, while mostly unappealing for bicycling is much better than the U.S., mostly because drivers are more considerate. It's really kind of fascinating given that lanes are narrow, shoulders or bike lanes extremely rare, and the speed limit is 60 mph. It's scary, but drivers do almost always wait patiently until they can move over to the other lane to pass. Not sure what happens to people once they get within London or Rome.

Both Seville and Barcelona are quite good for bicycling.

I think all of eastern Europe is generally poor though my experiences are limited so I have to rely on others.

Netherlands has extensive bicycle infrastructure throughout connecting every city, town, and village. Finland, Sweden, and Germany have a moderate amount and then Denmark has a bit.

You have to be careful saying you're making an apples to apples comparison between cities and especially comparing a variety of cities to a national median. Income isn't equal across the U.S. Three people who have the same job in NYC, WDC, and BHM will usually make different wages with the person in NYC making more than WDC who makes more than the person in BHM makes. That's not to say that everyone in NYC has the same standard of living for the same job as their counterparts in WDC, ATL, MSP, or DEN, but it's not hugely different.

As to the costs of living closer in to further out. Housing costs might be more closer in, but transportation costs can more than make up the difference, especially if someone living in a city can forego a car or two. Most people who live in the suburbs don't have a clue how much extra they spend for motor vehicle xportation (I think it's around $1.90/mile avg). Further, these costs will be skyrocketing in a few years when suburban cities and counties have to start major road replacements (lane miles (and water/sewer) per capita in 'burbs is about 12 - 14 times what it is in urban areas and few have yet to begin major overhauls though this is expected to start hitting around 2025).

Have you tried cycling in Manchester or Glasgow? London is one of the better places to cycle in the UK -- it's comparable to Denver, SF, or Portland in the USA.

I've not cycled in Sevilla for many years but I found Barcelona to be quite unfriendly outside the inner core.

I've ridden in Glasgow and agree with you and from visits to Manchester I'd guess it would be the same. Most everywhere I went in Barcelona was quite good compared to most U.S. cities.

Unless, of course, you don't have your choice of jobs. Then you're screwed.

It's not just transportation equality
 

Sad indeed. Then again, every other kind of equality has been left behind entirely in America. America makes no bones whatsoever about the fact that it only cares about the 1%.

Thread has run its course.

Dannihilator
Forum Moderator.