There's really the extent of the difference. The USA is so incredibly car-centric, that depsite laws regarding sharing roads with pedestrians and cyclists, it's incredibly unsafe to cross even at...
Drivers in Japan are taught to yield to pedestrians.
There's really the extent of the difference. The USA is so incredibly car-centric, that depsite laws regarding sharing roads with pedestrians and cyclists, it's incredibly unsafe to cross even at designated spots at even a medium-traffic road. Hell, even daring to drive 2 mph under the speed limit in a car is liable to get you honked at and illegally passed.
I blame the strong individualist culture that promotes narcissism and has resulted in an average vehicle occupancy very close to 1.
Prologue: Not 2 hours after writing this comment, I was driving down a 35mph, single-lane road which has numerous pedestrian crossings at 35 mph. Had my 4 family members in the car. A raised pickup truck with one person in it hammered their horn, swerved illegally into oncoming traffic and then back again when they couldn't pass me in the ~5 seconds before nearly slamming into oncoming traffic.
My initial example was one that happened a week ago. The country is sick.
Obligatory American lifestyle meme I think the difference extends greater. The author wrote: I think the cultural differences are great. It is simply not a question of changing infrastructure and...
I think the difference extends greater. The author wrote:
Like many things about Japan, it would be easy to attribute Hajimete no otsukai (literally, “First Errand”) to some cliché about Japanese essentialism. But the Japanese are not so different from us.
I think the cultural differences are great. It is simply not a question of changing infrastructure and voila: our cities are the ultimate expression of our values and culture.
On the whole, we value convenience, personal space, and personal autonomy — resulting in unmatched urban sprawl, cityscapes, and attitudes that are hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. We think there's something wrong with someone if they're an adult without a personal vehicle. We want our drive-thrus, Costcos, cheap/free parking, and so on.
I'm heartened to see the rise of media like Old Enough on popular platforms like Netflix that will serve as (positive) propaganda, showing people alternative lifestyles and worlds they might not have considered.
There's really the extent of the difference. The USA is so incredibly car-centric, that depsite laws regarding sharing roads with pedestrians and cyclists, it's incredibly unsafe to cross even at designated spots at even a medium-traffic road. Hell, even daring to drive 2 mph under the speed limit in a car is liable to get you honked at and illegally passed.
I blame the strong individualist culture that promotes narcissism and has resulted in an average vehicle occupancy very close to 1.
Prologue: Not 2 hours after writing this comment, I was driving down a 35mph, single-lane road which has numerous pedestrian crossings at 35 mph. Had my 4 family members in the car. A raised pickup truck with one person in it hammered their horn, swerved illegally into oncoming traffic and then back again when they couldn't pass me in the ~5 seconds before nearly slamming into oncoming traffic.
My initial example was one that happened a week ago. The country is sick.
Obligatory American lifestyle meme
I think the difference extends greater. The author wrote:
I think the cultural differences are great. It is simply not a question of changing infrastructure and voila: our cities are the ultimate expression of our values and culture.
On the whole, we value convenience, personal space, and personal autonomy — resulting in unmatched urban sprawl, cityscapes, and attitudes that are hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. We think there's something wrong with someone if they're an adult without a personal vehicle. We want our drive-thrus, Costcos, cheap/free parking, and so on.
I'm heartened to see the rise of media like Old Enough on popular platforms like Netflix that will serve as (positive) propaganda, showing people alternative lifestyles and worlds they might not have considered.