Paul&Dawn

Hi,

Erm...is there anybody else out there who doesn't drive? NOOOOO!! Please don't throw things at me! I'm serious. I moved to the US from the UK in 2003, and I don't drive, (why does that feel like standing up in a room full of strangers and admitting to being an alcoholic?! Not that I've ever done that, you understand, but...never mind).

I would be really interested to hear of other people's experiences negotiating the 'sidewalks' and 'pedestrian crossings' of America. If there are any. Probably not, so I'll apologise for wasting your time.

Dawn

Duncan Roberts

What's funny is today is the first day of our new parking place at work. There isn't enough space in the main car park so up until now they had rented space ion the car park next to it, and it was a short walk across a piece of grass that is between them. Now we have so nicely been moved to a place that is about a 10 minute walk down the side of a busy 4 lane road. You should have seen the looks I got from other drivers. They must have thought they were dreaming, there are about 30 people in this new place and most arrive at pretty much the same time!

Haggischomper

I can't drive either. I'll have to learn though as public transport is bollocks here.

adeshell

Yep, been there, done that. I put off getting my licence over here because I thought the test would be as difficult as in the UK. But it was ridiculously easy, I didn't even need any lessons. It consisted of driving around a car park and answering 40 questions of the type where they show you a road with a stop sign and ask you what you should do there. My advice is to go and take the test. Even if you fail, you can take it the next day.

Paul&Dawn

That's one of the things I hate! The looks I get from drivers, and the comments, and the gestures - I don't even know what most of the gestures mean, but they don't look friendly! And this is when I'm pushing our 7-month old son in his stroller! It used to be far worse when I just walked down the streets on my own.

I feel like I'm breaking 20 different laws or something just because I'm walking down the street. I'll have to learn to drive.

Dawn

New in NY

New York City is full of people who walk, here in Manhattan it's too much of a hassle/too expensive to own a car.

Ten years back I was staying in a small place near Boston. There was no public transport and I was too poor to buy a car, so I walked everywhere. I was always the only one and there were no sidewalks, luckily I don't remember any bad experiences, but I lost a lot of weight, works better than any gym

Noorah101

Since my husband has moved here from Istanbul, his biggest complaint has been the distance between things. Way too far to walk and carry grocery bags back home. He's in Los Angeles right now, in an area where he CAN walk to work and to some nearby shops, but still needs to drive to do anything other than that. He's been having language difficulties in getting his license, so he's been pretty frustrated. That's the one thing he misses...he liked walking everywhere, and it kept him trim, too. He's gained about 25 lbs in the year he's been in the USA.

Rene

ladylisa

There are no pavements where I live until early this year. They added one to the perimeter of our subdivision. Its right next to busy highway. I've only ever seen one person using it, an 80 year old man who walks along it everyday wearing a banner that says 'event staff' god knows where he's going, bless him!

Pimpbot

You walk for too long here and the soles of your shoes melt.

Why walk, when the test takes 10 minutes and is a doddle.

Dant3

Join the club! I've been in Los Angeles almost two years and still rely on walking, buses and the metro. My job provides a travel pass, and I've finally gotten the inlaws to believe me when I say I'm fine taking the bus. Although buses only run every 30 minutes (used to be every 5 minutes in Leeds!), once you know the schedule it's pretty effortless getting across town. The added bonus is that you actually get to meet people on the bus, and some very interesting people at that.

Crosswalks, however, take forever. Some, I swear, are timed to allow pedestrians to walk only once every half hour, and then once they do allow you to walk, they give you 2.3 seconds to cross eight lanes! And not having shelters at bus-stops when it's 100 degrees should be a criminal offense.

The wife, however, seems to think it slightly obscene that a grown adult does not have a driving license and only this morning booked me in for my written test. I have yet to tell her that I'm secretly saving for a motorbike...I'm thinking a late sixties Norton, or a BSA.

Jabba1

In the US, the inability to drive is a crime punishable by death! Hurry and get a license ( licence) before you are discovered!

The authorities will drag you out of your home, then proceed to torture you in full view of passing motorists. Once sufficient pain has been inflicted ( exactly how much is considered "sufficient" can vary from state to state) you will be thrown off the nearest overpass into oncoming traffic!

Such is the price for defying our most sacred law, that all must be fully licensed drivers by age 16.

Bob

The missus doesn't have a drivers license, so I drive her everywhere...and just getting stuff at the local store, she'd rather drive down there, when I'd rather just walk, it's only about 5 mins down the road...maybe in the dead of winter/summer walking isn't so great...but I prefer it to the hassle of a car...but there's also no public transport around here either, so it's impractical not having a car.

Dimsie

I don't drive.....thank goodness I'm not the only one! I've never driven since almost having an accident at a road junction as a learner when I was 20, many years ago. It is VERY inconvenient now, and one of the reasons I feel displaced in the US 'cos there's no public transport where I live at all, and no footpaths except in Main Street which is only a small area, and not near our house.
I'm not sure whether I'll ever be brave enough to learn to drive here or not. I think automatic transmission will make it all a lot easier, but even if I managed to drive, I'd never dare go on the interstates.

NC Penguin

I was in the same boat as you (the two of you?) when I moved to the US. Never had a full driving licence in the UK but I knew that as soon as I moved to the US, I'd have to learn to drive.

However, it was nine months before I took and passed the test and until that time, I rode on public transport. Talk about getting from A to B in a very slow manner.



NC Penguin

bxpuser7543

Go back to public transport then,f.. im funny