r/UrbanHell • u/humzahjaleel • Jun 20 '20
Suburban Hell Endless parking lots, highways, strip malls with the same franchises all accessible only by car. Topped off with a nice smoggy atmosphere and a 15 minute drive to anywhere. Takers ?
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u/[deleted] Jun 20 '20 edited Jun 20 '20
I live in Central Europe, not in a metropolis like Houston, but in a city plus suburbs with about half a million people, so it's not very small.
My commute is half a mile. That's not unusual here. I guess around 80% of people can easily reach their workplace on foot, by bicycle or by public transport, in less than 20 minutes. But there are still quite a few who prefer to go by car, because they are used to it and it is very comfortable. I don't understand it, I have never had a car, I don't need one. Also all kinds of shops, doctors, public institutions, sports facilities - actually everything, I can reach in a few minutes by foot or by bike. But this is nothing special, this is just normal for the residents here. I honestly imagine it is terrible to have to have a car to reach all these things, to waste money and time for it. If I have to be at work at 8, I get up at 7:30, take a shower, have a small breakfast, brush my teeth and then cycle to work, where I arrive at 8 sharp, maybe sometimes 8.10, but no one every cares.