It is very interesting to get an actual hold on how the state of these affairs are around the world, and particularly around Northern America - I had a feeling (ever the realist ;) ) that it would vary, but I was not sure between what.

Regarding shopping without a car, I personally use my bike and a rucksack, but then, I'm from a two-person household, so that method wouldn't be generally applicable.

This weekend, I went to a wedding between a now-not-so-close-as-previously friend and a regular (!) friend. Starting out directly from work on Friday, it involved slightly less than 1000km travel before the wedding started at 15:00 (3 PM) on Saturday. The first 700 km I went by train, which took 5 1/2 hours. This type of travel is only feasible because I work in a large city and the high-speed train travelled to another large city*. Next morning, I borrowed my girlfriend's parents' car, went to pick up a few others and drove the remaining distance in 3 hours (including lunch). We could have taken the train (would have been just as fast), except that our friends live in a very rural area, and weddings involve trips between church and such, so we chose the car. Regarding gas, the car goes around 10km per liter, and the price is just below 9 DKR per liter, which for 300 km equates to 270 DKR = 30 USD, that is $6 per person, which is cheaper than the train (240 DKR for an adult). The train would take 2 1/2 hours to the nearest station.

On a normal day, I tavel 40km to work. I take my bike to the train station (5 min), the commuter train to the central station (40-45 min), walk to the other end of the station (5 min), take subway for one stop (5 min), and walk to the office (5 min), totalling approx. 1:15. I'd estimate that the combined reliability of the trains and my bike have been 95% or better over the last six months**. I won't even begin to contemplate the horrors of parking a car anywhere near the office, but I'd say that the drive itself could be done in perhaps 45 minutes on a good day. Since I'm of the lucky sub-spicies of homo sapiens who are able to sleep on the train an still wake up 30 seconds before I have to get off, this comparison makes the car a loser. For me. But I see many people who are in the same situation as me, who choose the other alternative, and I think that this borders on the irresponsible.


*Just a thought: The two large cities in question are Stockholm and Copenhagen, each with populations of 1-1,5 million people.

**By "reliability" I mean no delays of more than 5 minutes, no punctures, no cancellations.

jul"my little reality"ian