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I imagine it depends where you live. I have a friend who worked in Detroit and stopped riding the bus after the time someone smashed out the window with a brick so they could enter and rob people on the bus, driver too dumb to hit the gas and get them out of there. Doubt she ever had road rage like that. (Wasn't the only time she ever saw an issue; that was just the worst one and the final straw.)
I agree about location! Most people keep to themselves where I live. Thanks!
I live in a neighborhood on the edge of Copenhagen. We have 4 grocery stores, 4 cafe/restaurants, an apothecary, maybe 6 barbers, 2 beauty shops, 3 vets, untold numbers of doctor and dentist offices, 1 toy store, 2 shoe stores, 3 flower shops, at least 4 bicycle shops, a seamstress/taylor shop, and ..... The farthest my wife and I have to walk to and from each of these is about 1 km. We normally walk about 3 km a day, doing our shopping and/or chores. In addition, we have a small lake nearby that allows us to walk another 4-10 km, which we do often for exercise. The center of Copenhagen is about 7km away. In the summer we walk there and back, and in the winter we take a bus + metro. I'm 76, wife is 67. Walking is better than a bus.
Honestly, I tell people who have health problems to ride the bus. They don't have to stop driving or sell their car but just ride instead of driving sometimes. It forces you to exercise and workout. What if you lived 3.7 miles away from work? Would you still walk?
I was wondering if you notice any difference(physically, mentally, etc.)between bus riders and car drivers. I understand that heredity plays a big part, but I am curious to know if you see any difference in health. Thank you!
That would be a difficult category to identify demographically. For instance I live in Lincoln, Nebraska and I use our bus system almost exclusively. Very few of the Middle/Upper class citizens here use Many of the riders I see are elderly (I am and in a wheelchair),, not rich, low income, students, no DL, blind etc etc.
Over the years I have ridden buses, subways, commuter planes and almost every form of transportation known to Man. NYC MASS TRANSIT users include just about every demographic there is. Various other large cities are the same. The flip side is that MASS Transit does NOT even exist in many smaller communities around the USA.
In my city (Lincoln, Nebraska) it is usually possible to carry on a conversation with several fellow riders. I love it. If you really like people a bus is the way to go. NOTE: that does NOT apply to long distance, cross country buses. Too close, too long then.
I don't know about health comparisons, I'd think basically it's a wash. If I had my druthers, given a decent public transportation system, personally I'd prefer riding buses, light rail ( ie, leaving the driving to others) when I commuted to work and other obligations, especially in crowded, traffic-ridden urban areas. Sure, you'd spend that travel time in close proximity to other souls who might be carrying lordy only knows what potentially contagious pathogens, but you'd also have that risk anywhere you go where people congregate.
To me the tradeoff of public transportation vs. driving is less stress in dealing with that constant traffic, trying to navigate around aggressive and who gives a damn drivers, vying for not enough parking in city and other urban areas, ie, the challenges of getting to your destination reasonably timely, and unscathed.
i have no problem letting other drivers have the road. The road rage is out of control, and it's just a matter of time till you'll be in one like you see on the news and even it is just a minor rage eventually you will become a road rager yourself.
But you're more likely to die in a car accident than in an accident using public transportation. In the same way that 90% of us think we're above average drivers, we tend to think we're more in control when we drive, and thus 'safer', but it isn't true. 36,750 people died in car crashes in 2018.
i have no problem letting other drivers have the road. The road rage is out of control, and it's just a matter of time till you'll be in one like you see on the news and even it is just a minor rage eventually you will become a road rager yourself.
Not me. I know better, have seen too much road rage and its repercussions. I see that road rage accomplishes nothing good, only harms those involved in it, so it's best to let it go and get out of harm's way the best I can.
I spent decades living in Miami and driving on the roads and highways in south Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties) and have seen the escalating crowds on the highways, many incidents of aggressive, lawless driving and road rage. I've had way too many close calls myself, enough so that I became convinced that I'd be killed in a highway accident before I got to retire and move out of the area. My job required traveling extensively on those highways and my single goal was to get to my destination and back home safely and hopefully without incident. So I concentrated on safe and defensive driving and did not engage with other drivers who were out to challenge or gather revenge on others for daring to be in their way on those roads. So that's my driving goal, to get to my destination and home safely, not to engage in driving as a combat sport.
And I'd still take public transportation where it was a viable option.
Honestly, I tell people who have health problems to ride the bus. They don't have to stop driving or sell their car but just ride instead of driving sometimes. It forces you to exercise and workout. What if you lived 3.7 miles away from work? Would you still walk?
That is the core problem in the U.S. Most places in the U.S. are simply not laid out like Copenhagen.
That said, most people can walk more. My parents live in a suburban, car-oriented area, and they still go for walks in the neighborhood all the time. They do have a small group of stores (not enough to do all your shopping, by any means) about 4 blocks away and they will walk to them instead of drive (which is what most other people would do).
Not me. I know better, have seen too much road rage and its repercussions. I see that road rage accomplishes nothing good, only harms those involved in it, so it's best to let it go and get out of harm's way the best I can.
I spent decades living in Miami and driving on the roads and highways in south Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties) and have seen the escalating crowds on the highways, many incidents of aggressive, lawless driving and road rage. I've had way too many close calls myself, enough so that I became convinced that I'd be killed in a highway accident before I got to retire and move out of the area. My job required traveling extensively on those highways and my single goal was to get to my destination and back home safely and hopefully without incident. So I concentrated on safe and defensive driving and did not engage with other drivers who were out to challenge or gather revenge on others for daring to be in their way on those roads. So that's my driving goal, to get to my destination and home safely, not to engage in driving as a combat sport.
And I'd still take public transportation where it was a viable option.
Good for you! We need more people like you! I like the idea of avoiding all that road rage and driving in the big city. I could bikeshare for $20 a month, but they have bad reviews on Yelp.) :
That is the core problem in the U.S. Most places in the U.S. are simply not laid out like Copenhagen.
That said, most people can walk more. My parents live in a suburban, car-oriented area, and they still go for walks in the neighborhood all the time. They do have a small group of stores (not enough to do all your shopping, by any means) about 4 blocks away and they will walk to them instead of drive (which is what most other people would do).
Longevity has pretty high correlation with socioeconomic status. If you’re riding the city bus because you can’t afford a car, you probably have a bunch of things that shorten your lifespan. Access to health care. The stress of being poor. You’re more likely to smoke. You’re more likely to eat a poor diet.
I know people who ride a commuter bus every day. Being on that kind of tight fixed schedule and being jammed into a bus with all those people has plenty of stress. I’ve had long commutes in fairly light traffic that weren’t a big deal. I’ve had a few car commutes that were awful and I found a better situation pretty quickly.
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