[1]
CITIES WHERE PEDESTRIANS RULE [2]
Itâ€(tm)s difficult to escape cars. Unless you live in
one of a handful of cities where public transit is widespread or you
have the patience to take the bus/light rail in a city with a less
than perfect network (most cities in the US fall into this category),
a car is all but necessary for daily life. Even when traveling,
tourists will eventually find their way into a taxi or a Hertz agency.
But there are cities out there where it is possible to get by without
getting into a car.
Copenhagen
[3]Imperfect weather doesnâ€(tm)t stop people in
Copenhagen from pedaling to work or school every day. Cycle commuters
number in the hundreds of thousands (the web site Copenhagenize puts
the number of daily two-wheel commutes at 500,000).
Thatâ€(tm)s about 25% of all commuters. That number puts
Americaâ€(tm)s bicycling-est city, Portland (where 3% of
commuters bike) to shame.
Hong Kong
[4]
Hong Kongâ€(tm)s iconic ferries still get their pictures
on the front page of travel magazines and web sites. But it is the
widespread train system (MRT) that makes this one of the easiest
cities to get around. The ubiquitous [5]Octupus Card [6], a stored
value transit card, can be used for any form of public transit, from
the ferry to the train to the minibuses. [7]
TOKYO [8]
[9]Tokyo is a massive city with an equally massive (and perpetually
crowded) network of trains. Stories about being stuffed into subway
cars like sardines aside, this is the easiest city in the world to get
around solely by train.
Havana
[10]Aacticle about Havana has the requisite photo of an antique car
rolling down an unkempt street. Many of these aged vehicles double as
taxis, but they are not the only means of transportation in the city.
Dirt cheap buses run everywhere, as do colorful bicycle taxis.
Paris
[11]The Paris Metro is one of Europeâ€(tm)s oldest urban
train systems, with the first line completed in 1900. Now 131 miles of
track and 380 stations make the Metro one of the
worldâ€(tm)s most expansive subways. The architecture in
some of the more iconic stations and the trains themselves are as much
a part of the cityâ€(tm)s personality as the Eiffel Tower.
Mumbai
[12]Mumbaiâ€(tm)s train network is super-efficient and
notoriously crowded. Some visitors find a trip on the train to be the
worst part of their visit to India, while for others, it is the
highlight. Train is one of the cheapest ways to get around, for sure.
There are plans to upgrade the system, doubling its reach over the
next five years.
Singapore and Seoul
[13]Most East Asian metropolises put US cities to shame when it
comes to train and subway systems. Seoul and Singapore are two more to
add to the list of cities with streamlined rail travel.
Seoulâ€(tm)s massive subway system is one of the
worldâ€(tm)s largest, while Singaporeâ€(tm)s is
one of the most well-planned and cleanest. Both
citiesâ€(tm) trains are far enough reaching that a car is
completely unnecessary.
London
[14]Londonâ€(tm)s Underground is both the oldest and
longest urban rail network in the world. Despite being a bit notorious
for its delays and overcrowding, 3.4 million riders rely on it for
transportation on a daily basis.
Shanghai
[15]
[16]The US lags woefully behind European and Asian cities when it
comes to public transportation. Two of the exceptions to this trend
are New York, with its storied, much-used subway system and San
Francisco, with the BART and Muni.
Madrid
[17]Despite being a smaller metro area, Madridâ€(tm)s
Metro system is on of the most expansive in the world, covering 175
miles and set to expand further. Though it is most known for the
tragic and bloody 2004 terrorist attack – the worst
on European soil to date – ridership has remained
high and as has public support for for further expansion.
Sao Paulo and Amsterdam
[18]Amsterdam has long been known for its bicycle culture. 40% of
all its traffic comes from bicycles. Despite the high numbers, biking
in the city is quite safe, with traffic laws and roads developed with
the goal of streamlining two-wheeled commutes.
Sao Paulo, on the other hand, is not an easy city to negotiate on a
bicycle. In fact, the train is a prefered means of transport because
it helps people avoid the insane crush of rush hour traffic that
pollutes this large Brazilian city.
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[3]
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[4]
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[7]
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[9]
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