Public v Private Transportation in Europe

In my observation, it is clear that Europeans value the ability to move between cities and areas of major population with ease. So much so, in fact, that they believe the government should provide a way for transportation between areas of major population. Hence the national railways and the much more affordable air travel costs. Cities in Europe were not built for the car and high-speed road travel. The roads are smaller, the traffic is much more congested, the buildings are taller and population lives much closer to work centers. This way of living is much different than the Western American way of life.

In Western America, the attitude is that in order to travel long distances, or even be basically mobile in an area of major population, one must own a car. Cities are planned around this idea. Roads are wider, gas is cheaper, buildings are more spread out, and distances between homes and work is much greater. High rises and apartments are much less common, and are usually occupied by the financially disadvantaged and the single. In Europe, entire families with five or six people live in small apartments. Apartments can be purchased there. Never in America have I heard of anyone buying an apartment.

The metro is the solution for how Europeans in large urban areas can maintain their mobility without making the huge investment in an automobile. The Paris metro is the largest and most comprehensive (not to mention complicated) metro system I have ever seen. There are 14 lines that span the width and breadth of the city. Trains come and go on each metro line every five to ten minutes. With this amazing tool available to the public at 1 Euro per ride, why would anyone want to take the trouble to buy a car, find a place to park it (which is a real issue), purchase car insurance, and worry about fuel and maintenance costs? It’s more economic to use the metro in urban areas and to use the national railways when traveling to the countryside. A car is a symbol in Europe. It means economic strength, power, and wealth. That much is very clear to me.