4 ms·

Well, it's Texas. One of the reasons I fled the midsouth to return to my native northeast was the shockingly pervasive culture of marginalizing walking (or biki

Well, it's Texas. One of the reasons I fled the midsouth to return to my native northeast was the shockingly pervasive culture of marginalizing walking (or biking or anything but a car) as a way of getting around. The assumption was no one would ever willingly use anything but a car to go anywhere, even half a mile away, unless they really really had no choice. I started taking to wearing a collared shirt when I went for a jog to avoid being looked at or treated like a homeless person. Of course, then I would constantly get asked if I needed a ride. But eventually I just did it less and less because of all the stray dogs, not an issue I've ever seen so much in places where walking is normal for the non-destitute. One time I tried biking through a drive through (the walk in doors were closed for some reason) and they threatened to call the police on me. Another time, despite being clean and well dressed, I was treated like a homeless shoplifter at a CVS, and I'm sure it's because they saw me walk in off the street instead of from the parking lot. Nothing remotely like any of this has ever happened in the northeast. Even in the least walkable places in the northeast, people are at least not surprised if someone insists on trying to walk places -- they-re probably just some ex-new Yorker, ex bostonite, etc. It was like being in a different country with different customs. Indeed I've learned the US is a more culturally varied place than I had thought as a young boy consuming national market media. If you like to walk don't be a dumbass and think you can move to somewhere like Texas and "I'll just walk around the leafy suburbs then" Maybe you will and sure, people do it, and neighborhoods certainly vary, but it really depends and you will find it is not something you can take for granted like on Europe, latin America, or the northeast corridor of the US.

Domenic_S 4y ago
> One time I tried biking through a drive through (the walk in doors were closed for some reason) and they threatened to call the police on me. FWIW when I lived in Davis, CA (city logo: a bike) drive-thrus had the same policy. They usually disallow pedestrians and bikes for "safety & liability" reasons (whether those are reasonable is an exercise left to the reader) https://bicycleuniverse.com/can-bike-go-drive-thru/ https://bicycleuniverse.com/can-bike-go-drive-thru/
- jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
  Yeah, it was like that when I was a kid in Kansas in the 90s. The danger is someone trying to rob them when they open the register by jumping in the window. Not impossible to do from a car but harder. But personally, I think it's wrong to just have it as a blanket policy.
- gamegoblin 4y ago
  Portland Oregon just passed a law a few years ago that mandates drive-thrus accept pedestrians and cyclists, hope it spreads.
lakomen 4y ago
Wow that's fucked up, thanks for sharing. What about bicycles or escooters?
- wil421 4y ago
  I live in The South and have the exact opposite experience as OP. The suburbs I live in have tons of walkers and bike riders. A majority of them are middle aged. The major city I live outside of has a huge bike/pedestrian path that used to be an old railroad. There’s also an 80+ mile bike path that goes into a neighboring state. I have a bike trailer and both my wife and I bike with the kids. The only thing I don’t see a lot in the suburbs are people picking up groceries.
  - galdosdi 4y ago
    (1) The south is big. Really big. I am aware of neighborhoods like the one you describe, especially for those who can afford it. Glad you found a corner that works for you but I'm talking about general trends and comparing mediocre midsouth neighborhoods to mediocre northeast neighborhoods, ie the environment an average person must endure, not just what CAN be had if you have the resources and awareness to seek it out. Nevertheless, prior to moving to the midsouth i did not realize this was an amenity I needed to have on my radar, as this does not happen in the northeast (2) I'm not even talking about infrastructure. I'm talking about trying to walk anyway despite having bad walking infra, being willing to do so, trying it, and having issues due to PEOPLE and their attitudes. (3) I said mid south, not south (roughly, texas and its surrounding "client states"... Arguably maybe Missouri. US regional taxonomy is hard and somewhat subjective). It's bad enough I'm generalizing about a whole region, at the very least I want to narrow it down a little more than just "the south"
brundolf 4y ago
I've lived in Texas my entire life (in three different major cities) and never had experiences like this. Definitely, most people drive when they're actually going to a destination. The cities are designed with this assumption. Recreational walking or jogging is common within neighborhoods, and kids walking to/from school isn't uncommon either (since those are often in or near one's neighborhood), but if you want to walk to the store (in most areas) you'll be crossing vast unshaded stretches of sidewalk, parking lots, major roads where people aren't used to pedestrians, etc. Bike lanes are also rare and mostly confined to urban centers. But I've never seen or heard of active hostility or suspicion toward someone just because they're walking somewhere (and I love walking, so I do it whenever/wherever it makes sense to)
- galdosdi 4y ago
  Major cities might be why you had less of an issue. I suspect your experience might resemble mine more in oh say Amarillo than Austin or any other Texas triangle cities Or maybe Oklahoma just sucks more than Texas? Idk, but it was a pervasive thing I kept noticing over the years.
  - brundolf 4y ago
    I've lived in Waco, Austin, and a Dallas suburb. I have not lived in rural Texas, though I have family out in east texas that I've gone and stayed with many times (and taken walks in the area without incident) As you might imagine Austin is an outlier on this stuff, but I was mainly thinking of the Dallas area with my descriptions above (though a lot of it applies in Austin too)
pcurve 4y ago
Your story is wild it makes my head spin. It makes me wonder if the principal is targeting parents from the coasts.
gamegoblin 4y ago
The Pedestrian (1951) by Ray Bradbury is relevant here: https://www.riversidelocalschools.com/Downloads/pedestrian%20short%20story.pdf https://www.riversidelocalschools.com/Downloads/pedestrian%2...
galdosdi 4y ago
EDIT: yes, experiences vary, because the midsouth is a big place! For context my worst experiences were largely in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. Maybe it was an Oklahoma thing, but in my experience Oklahoma is basically an appendage of Texas, a NJ to Texas's NY (please dont tell any Okies I said this). I also saw some of this culture near Little Rock, Arkansas but nowhere near as bad, so yes, it varies.

Domenic_S 4y ago

> One time I tried biking through a drive through (the walk in doors were closed for some reason) and they threatened to call the police on me. FWIW when I lived in Davis, CA (city logo: a bike) drive-thrus had the same policy. They usually disallow pedestrians and bikes for "safety & liability" reasons (whether those are reasonable is an exercise left to the reader) https://bicycleuniverse.com/can-bike-go-drive-thru/ https://bicycleuniverse.com/can-bike-go-drive-thru/

jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
Yeah, it was like that when I was a kid in Kansas in the 90s. The danger is someone trying to rob them when they open the register by jumping in the window. Not impossible to do from a car but harder. But personally, I think it's wrong to just have it as a blanket policy.
gamegoblin 4y ago
Portland Oregon just passed a law a few years ago that mandates drive-thrus accept pedestrians and cyclists, hope it spreads.

lakomen 4y ago

Wow that's fucked up, thanks for sharing. What about bicycles or escooters?

wil421 4y ago
I live in The South and have the exact opposite experience as OP. The suburbs I live in have tons of walkers and bike riders. A majority of them are middle aged. The major city I live outside of has a huge bike/pedestrian path that used to be an old railroad. There’s also an 80+ mile bike path that goes into a neighboring state. I have a bike trailer and both my wife and I bike with the kids. The only thing I don’t see a lot in the suburbs are people picking up groceries.
- galdosdi 4y ago
  (1) The south is big. Really big. I am aware of neighborhoods like the one you describe, especially for those who can afford it. Glad you found a corner that works for you but I'm talking about general trends and comparing mediocre midsouth neighborhoods to mediocre northeast neighborhoods, ie the environment an average person must endure, not just what CAN be had if you have the resources and awareness to seek it out. Nevertheless, prior to moving to the midsouth i did not realize this was an amenity I needed to have on my radar, as this does not happen in the northeast (2) I'm not even talking about infrastructure. I'm talking about trying to walk anyway despite having bad walking infra, being willing to do so, trying it, and having issues due to PEOPLE and their attitudes. (3) I said mid south, not south (roughly, texas and its surrounding "client states"... Arguably maybe Missouri. US regional taxonomy is hard and somewhat subjective). It's bad enough I'm generalizing about a whole region, at the very least I want to narrow it down a little more than just "the south"

brundolf 4y ago

I've lived in Texas my entire life (in three different major cities) and never had experiences like this. Definitely, most people drive when they're actually going to a destination. The cities are designed with this assumption. Recreational walking or jogging is common within neighborhoods, and kids walking to/from school isn't uncommon either (since those are often in or near one's neighborhood), but if you want to walk to the store (in most areas) you'll be crossing vast unshaded stretches of sidewalk, parking lots, major roads where people aren't used to pedestrians, etc. Bike lanes are also rare and mostly confined to urban centers. But I've never seen or heard of active hostility or suspicion toward someone just because they're walking somewhere (and I love walking, so I do it whenever/wherever it makes sense to)

galdosdi 4y ago
Major cities might be why you had less of an issue. I suspect your experience might resemble mine more in oh say Amarillo than Austin or any other Texas triangle cities Or maybe Oklahoma just sucks more than Texas? Idk, but it was a pervasive thing I kept noticing over the years.
- brundolf 4y ago
  I've lived in Waco, Austin, and a Dallas suburb. I have not lived in rural Texas, though I have family out in east texas that I've gone and stayed with many times (and taken walks in the area without incident) As you might imagine Austin is an outlier on this stuff, but I was mainly thinking of the Dallas area with my descriptions above (though a lot of it applies in Austin too)

pcurve 4y ago

Your story is wild it makes my head spin. It makes me wonder if the principal is targeting parents from the coasts.

gamegoblin 4y ago

The Pedestrian (1951) by Ray Bradbury is relevant here: https://www.riversidelocalschools.com/Downloads/pedestrian%20short%20story.pdf https://www.riversidelocalschools.com/Downloads/pedestrian%2...

galdosdi 4y ago

EDIT: yes, experiences vary, because the midsouth is a big place! For context my worst experiences were largely in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. Maybe it was an Oklahoma thing, but in my experience Oklahoma is basically an appendage of Texas, a NJ to Texas's NY (please dont tell any Okies I said this). I also saw some of this culture near Little Rock, Arkansas but nowhere near as bad, so yes, it varies.