Did you know that 40% of trips made in the U.S. are two miles or less in length? That’s walking and bicycling distance. Yet cars are currently being used for most of those trips. So much physical, sensual pleasure 
being bypassed as we vegetate in our vehicles! And carbon emissions needlessly created. And overweight-ness perpetuated.
The more we walk, bike and do physical work, the more self-sufficient we are and the less we outsource our lives and activities to fossil fuels. It builds energy independence and prepares us for when there will eventually be disruptions in oil supply, whether temporary or not so temporary. My challenge to you is to replace one short driving trip this week with walking or bicycling. Notice how it increases your energy and lets you feel your body. If you already bike, walk and drive little, invite a neighbor, friend or coworker to join you. It builds community, and good habits and joy are contagious.
I walk almost everywhere, otherwise I’m on the bus or train. I can’t ride a bike well enough to go far in a city …. I love walking though, you can notice so much detail passing by…
guess what, that is what most of us are doing in europe since ever: walking / cycling through the city instead of taking the car. And in case the distance should get too long, there is always a subway / tram / train / bus station around any corner.
And thanks to our social capitalistic economies the crime rates in Europe are so low that you can use public transpirtation risk free
Yes, Europe has a much better transportation system than the U.S. I attribute some of this to its more compact geography and some to the wisdom (including social capitalism) it has accumulated in its longer history of being densely populated.
There’s no transportation, public or otherwise, that’s risk-free, however. We take a risk by leaving our houses
. But when great numbers of people use public transit, bike and walk as in Europe, those things do become measurably safer.