Would any Americans actually prefer walking to driving?

[Anonymous]

There's no question about the obesity epidemic in America, people are the fattest today that the world has ever seen. It is estimated that 70% of Americans are either overweight or obese with almost 3 in 4 men (74%) and 78% of women are considered to be overweight or obese.

The average American woman today now weigh more than the average American man from the 1960's.

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/Pages/overweight-obesity-statistics.aspx
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3124838/The-average-American-woman-weight-average-1960s-man.html

Would you be willing to forego the use of cars for long distances in exchange for perhaps "superblock" structures. To foster a closer need to walk?

Fuck you! and walking! gimmie my drive through Big Mac and my Car Dammit!

I would be willing to give walking a go for a while and only use my car when needed for long distances

Other

Updates

+1 y

the point of the question... i posted the video asking whether americans would be open to the posibility of something being constructed liek for example the super blocks to foster more encouragement to walk. shops, businesses etc within superblocks

[NearlyNapping]

Won't work. Americans are so addicted to cars because the country was designed that way. The vast majority of the country was designed after the invention and common use of the car. That means it's spread out and decentralized.

Mass transit depends on a certain minimum density of population. It depends on centralized destinations. If that density does not exist, then mass transit becomes worse than driving. Walking, or even riding bicycles are even worse.

I've actually thought about this for several years. The population is just too spread out, and people are going in too many different directions. A bus going trough here would be lucky to have more than a half dozen passengers along it's entire route. There is just too much distance for walking or riding a bicycle.

In some urban areas alternate transportation is practical. But in most places it's not. This country was built around cars, and you can't just up and resign an entire country. Yes, there are things that can and should be done. But they are minimal when you look at the big picture.

[meatballs21]

American cities are not built for walking, except the older cities in the East. With so much space, why live in cramped cities like in Europe?

After the Second World War, public transportation in many cities was devastated by a combination of run down equipment and the rise of car ownership. Streetcars and interurbans were torn up and the car became king, or you were stuck with an inferior bus service (if you were lucky).

I live in Toronto, which like many North American cities, doesn't have the best transit network. I specifically chose my home because it was next to a subway station. I could have had a bigger place for less if I lived further out of the city, but then I'd need a car. Instead, I walk/bike/transit everywhere.

[Asker]

that's the point of the question. i posted the video asking whether americans would be open to the posibility of something being constructed liek for example the super blocks to foster more encouragement to walk. shops, businesses etc within superblocks

[meatballs21]

If you live in a mixed use condo, you likely already do have some shops and restaurants right downstairs.

That video is expecting people to give up perfectly good (and expensive) suburban homes when there are other solutions that don't require people to live in crowded cities.

[udolipixie]

"It is estimated that 70% of Americans are either overweight or obese with almost 3 in 4 men (74%) and 78% of women are considered to be overweight or obese."

You're using misleading data. Nowhere did it state 78% of women are considered to be overweight or obese.

Would any Americans actually prefer walking to driving?
C. Other

I bike instead of walk. I only drive if the distance is over 20 miles.

It said "According to the bar graph, 74 percent of men had overweight or obesity; 64 percent of women had overweight or obesity".

It's amusing to me how often guys blatantly lie about the weight stats to give off the idea that gals weight is more severe than dudes. Every US study I've seen has consistently show that men are more overweight/obese than dudes. Yet for some reason it seems whenever weight is brought up it's focused on gals.

[Asker]

Are you a feminist?

[udolipixie]

Nope.

[jcoldstream]

Barcelona is not an American city. It has an excellent underground railway, frequent buses, safe streets with crossing places and parades of shops and bars everywhere among the houses. It also has an attractive promenade that overlooks the Mediterranean, and its climate is pleasant to walk in for most of the year. It is compact so most of the time you can find what you want by walking for ten minutes. Since in America pedestrians are often the object of abuse and even physical attack, it's inconceivable that anyone would want to walk about in an American city unless it were re-designed on European lines.

[Jaye234]

I live in the sticks on a mountain so I have to drive about 20 mins just to get to town and about an hour to get to the nearest city. Plus it's not safe to be walking with your toddler off a mountain. If I lived in the city is walk more but country folks have to drive or it'd an hour or longer to reach town.

[madhatters4]

i prefer walking. i like driving but it's expensive and stressful

unfortunately outside of the major major cities it is very hard to get where you need to go without a car

[dangerDoge]

I actually enjoy walking/riding a bike when I can. (Rather, I don't like to spend the money on gas for cars lol). However, I don't have a bike at the moment since I need to fix the gears on it.

It depends what you determine walkable/bikeable as well. Like this year, I live about 5 miles away from campus. It is bikeable and walkable I guess, but it is not particularly practical to walk it. I'd have to wake up much earlier than I do which means less sleep. Sleep is important to me and I don't get enough as is. Public transportation, aka the bus, is a better idea.

Other than that, I tend to be walking back and forth across campus all day for classes. I figure I'm still a healthy weight, so whatever I'm doing is working out for me. I wouldn't want a city block, because honestly I'm not a fan of city living. I prefer space and nature where it can be.

On a side note, those figures seem quite a bit exaggerated.

[CHARismatic110]

I don't know how to drive so I'm either walking or catching public transportation. But yeah, Americans are fat but I don't think that percentage is right.

[PiuBravoRagazzo]

Everything is too far away, unless you live in a city like New York or boston etc
I need to drive, I dont have a choice where I live. The public transport is really bad.

Also, I play basketball twice a week, and go to thee gym, 5 days a week so I am always super active, I think driving and weight have little to do with each other

[Bobbyhill1]

strange considering I live in new york which is one of the most populated cities, and I rarely see fat people. Actually, a lot of people walk in new york city, its pretty hard to have at least 2 feet of personal space between you. I also walk everywhere too, I like it a lot..

[bloodmountain1990]

It depends. If you're in a city with great public transportation then walking and taking the trains is ok. However where I live out in the suburbs, having a car is a must to get around. When I was out of a car just for a week, it made me appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

I walk as often as possible.. but I have the advantage of working from home and having a number of of stores and restaurants within 3 miles. I used to drive it all the time and only started walking it about 3 years ago. I lost a ton of weight (about 115 pounds). Grocery shopping is a pain at times. But now I do it a little more often so I am never carrying more than 3-4 bags. The advantage is my food is always fresh and I can try different things on a whim.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

70%? It's bad, but not nearly that bad. Stop making shit up 😂😂😂

I prefer driving cause it's relaxing and I like space. And yeah, I walk a lot, too

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

Also, it should be noted that most of America isn't Barcelona or like most places for that matter. It's literally a continent big, where virtually all European countries are ridiculously cramped. Speaking of which, despite being the 3rd most populous country, it's also the 2nd/3rd largest in area and our biggest city (New York) isn't even top 20 in sheer population and that's our biggest city. Meaning that the density doesn't warrant a system like Barcelona considering that 99% of the country outside of New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, philly and like 8 other cities with the capacity to do so couldn't sustain itself on that kinda system

[BellePepper]

I used to walk and bike to a job that was only a mile away but all my other jobs have been 6+ miles away so it wasn't feasible to not drive.

[cavmanier]

I'm thinking about riding a bike to work some days. I'm obviously not overweight, but I still want the benefits of exercise.

[rgb008]

No way.
Everything here is too far apart.
I am gonna drive.

[Asker]

that's the point of the question. i posted the video asking whether americans would be open to the posibility of something being constructed liek for example the super blocks to foster more encouragement to walk. shops, businesses etc within superblocks

[JudgmentDay]

I typically either walk, ride a bike, or use public transportation.

[jman46241]

I hate driving, but it's necessary where I life. I would much rather walk or ride a bike to where I need to go.

[Redstang88]

Depends how far I need to go. I love driving, but having to commute to work every day is a drag. Being able to walk there would be nice.

[Thisperson98]

Where I live, anytime I want to go somewhere I would have to walk for miles in the heat. So no, I am driving.

[Anonymous]

Americans drive from Drive through to Drive through. Walking is not OK. Don't ever suggest that EVER

[Asker]

You don't like hamplanets?

[Jan1ssary_]

I am not American but I prefer walking to driving bruh..

[AlwaysBelieving]

Yes, if it were like this (the "super blocks"). I got too lazy to actually watch the video.

[babeeeone]

Not in my city. Everything's so far apart, it'd be difficult to walk everywhere you wanted to go

[datgirl]

I love talking walks, but I prefer to drive unless the places are nearby plus I love driving.