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I think you over estimate the size of most small towns. Pretty much everything from residentials to main street is 1 mile away. I can walk across my entire to

I think you over estimate the size of most small towns. Pretty much everything from residentials to main street is 1 mile away. I can walk across my entire town in 30 minutes, almost fully on sidewalks, the few streets with no side walks have no traffic. Usually there's one main road through town and it doesn't go far, neighborhoods are on each side. Personally I've found small towns much more walkable than cities contrary to HN anecdotes.

mkl 4y ago
The problem I'm thinking of is that a town that small is probably missing lots of things many people consider important, so they'd have to drive to a neighbouring town. My sister lives in such a place, and does more driving than I could stand.
- hunterb123 4y ago
  Wrong again. We have a Walmart Super Center, ER, quite a few good restaurants, and many other things. The city with more stuff is 20 minutes away, less time then you'll sit in traffic in the city going a few miles to the same thing. So less time commuting than in the city and I prefer the privacy of driving over public transportation. I hate people, especially crowds.
  - eertami 4y ago
    > less time then you'll sit in traffic in the city going a few miles to the same thing Most people aren't going to drive for just a few miles though, surely. I'd just cycle or take one of the busses that arrive every 6 minutes. Although this is purely hypothetical, because I already have access to everything I need within walking distance. It's a bad faith argument. You've claimed that it takes much longer to get somewhere, but only when you take the inefficient route. Ok sure, you have some special needs that means you must take the car, but this is not a problem you can claim most people would face.
    - hunterb123 4y ago
      Judging from all the traffic inside cities and my experiences, most people do idle for awhile in traffic just to go a few miles. The bikes are the minority vs cars sitting in the roads and all the full streets / lots, but the bike riders are generally the worst offenders on the street. Most city public transportation is sub-par quality and safety wise. I don't mind public transportation in some countries to an extent, but not in US cities. The bus is super slow with all the stops and you can't exactly load it up with stuff, bikes are inconvenient because I'm most likely getting groceries for the next two weeks, or it's raining, etc. You don't have to have special needs for a bike to be impractical a lot of the time. Anyways, your idea of small towns is quite off and generalizing, we'll leave it at that.
      - eertami 4y ago
        > your idea of small towns is quite off My idea of small towns is based on well designed towns in central Europe. Almost everything you talk about here are problems from poorly planned suburbs, and have nothing to do with actual towns/cities. > bikes are inconvenient because I'm most likely getting groceries for the next two weeks, or it's raining If you can't realistically walk to a supermarket to buy groceries and carry them home, then your town is not a functional town. A lightweight rain jacket is very cheap. > The bus is super slow with all the stops The bus is faster in busy traffic, because the bus has dedicated lanes and routes that are not legal for cars to drive in. There are no personal cars allowed in our town center, you need to drive around the outside and find parking which is always less convenient than the bus. > Most city public transportation is sub-par quality and safety wise. Again, this sounds like a massive failing of infrastructure. I find busses are clean, cheap, and as safe as walking down the street. I have a car, I understand they are sometimes necessary and that there are things which unfortunately are not possible without them right now. But for making short distance journeys on a day to day basis in your own town or city? That just shouldn't ever make sense.
        deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
      - 4y ago

mkl 4y ago

The problem I'm thinking of is that a town that small is probably missing lots of things many people consider important, so they'd have to drive to a neighbouring town. My sister lives in such a place, and does more driving than I could stand.

hunterb123 4y ago
Wrong again. We have a Walmart Super Center, ER, quite a few good restaurants, and many other things. The city with more stuff is 20 minutes away, less time then you'll sit in traffic in the city going a few miles to the same thing. So less time commuting than in the city and I prefer the privacy of driving over public transportation. I hate people, especially crowds.
- eertami 4y ago
  > less time then you'll sit in traffic in the city going a few miles to the same thing Most people aren't going to drive for just a few miles though, surely. I'd just cycle or take one of the busses that arrive every 6 minutes. Although this is purely hypothetical, because I already have access to everything I need within walking distance. It's a bad faith argument. You've claimed that it takes much longer to get somewhere, but only when you take the inefficient route. Ok sure, you have some special needs that means you must take the car, but this is not a problem you can claim most people would face.
  - hunterb123 4y ago
    Judging from all the traffic inside cities and my experiences, most people do idle for awhile in traffic just to go a few miles. The bikes are the minority vs cars sitting in the roads and all the full streets / lots, but the bike riders are generally the worst offenders on the street. Most city public transportation is sub-par quality and safety wise. I don't mind public transportation in some countries to an extent, but not in US cities. The bus is super slow with all the stops and you can't exactly load it up with stuff, bikes are inconvenient because I'm most likely getting groceries for the next two weeks, or it's raining, etc. You don't have to have special needs for a bike to be impractical a lot of the time. Anyways, your idea of small towns is quite off and generalizing, we'll leave it at that.
    - eertami 4y ago
      > your idea of small towns is quite off My idea of small towns is based on well designed towns in central Europe. Almost everything you talk about here are problems from poorly planned suburbs, and have nothing to do with actual towns/cities. > bikes are inconvenient because I'm most likely getting groceries for the next two weeks, or it's raining If you can't realistically walk to a supermarket to buy groceries and carry them home, then your town is not a functional town. A lightweight rain jacket is very cheap. > The bus is super slow with all the stops The bus is faster in busy traffic, because the bus has dedicated lanes and routes that are not legal for cars to drive in. There are no personal cars allowed in our town center, you need to drive around the outside and find parking which is always less convenient than the bus. > Most city public transportation is sub-par quality and safety wise. Again, this sounds like a massive failing of infrastructure. I find busses are clean, cheap, and as safe as walking down the street. I have a car, I understand they are sometimes necessary and that there are things which unfortunately are not possible without them right now. But for making short distance journeys on a day to day basis in your own town or city? That just shouldn't ever make sense.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
    - 4y ago