Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
Having lived in Australia and Canada for years, as well as having traveled in numerous countries in Europe and Asia (more so Asia), I agree that many countries have better public transport than most areas in the United States.  Moreover, whereas public transport in the U.S. tends to be used by low income people, commuters, and older people who cannot drive, in Australia and Canada one sees more middle class people using it for a variety of purposes, i.e. going to the city centre for a show or concert, to eat out, etc. Prior to moving to Australia, I thought that the U.S. was the car capital of the world.  But after living in Australia and Canada, I have changed my mind.  Folks in many other countries are as enthusiastic about cars as we are, which led to my conclusion that given a choice, people will, if they can, go in a private vehicle as opposed to public transport.  What makes them choose public transport more frequently in many European countries, as well as to a certain extent in Australia, is the cost of petrol. It is also a major factor in why in Australia, at least, one sees very few big SUVs and pick-up trucks.  Most people cannot afford to run them because of the hefty fuel taxes imposed on petrol by the government.  Interestingly, the U.S. is not at the top of the ladder when it comes to car ownership per 1,000 population.  According to data published by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Belgium (474), France (496), Germany (565), Italy (595), Sweden (462), Switzerland (520), and Canada (561), amongst others, have higher rates of car ownership per 1,000 than America (461).  And according to the news coming out of China, the population there is keen to become auto owners.  Some analysts believe that they will eventually pass the U.S. in car ownership and use. Trains are a choice in many other countries because of the very high tax rates imposed in those countries.  For better or worse, we opted for cars and airplanes and relatively low taxes, although it is difficult to convince many people that we have one of the lowest tax burdens of any OECD country.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag