> And don't forget the idyllic car-free existence that almost everyone has in Europe.
I don't think it came up this time but indeed it is common each time there is this kind of thread here. Same thing for the fuzzy 'walkability' concept.
> I think I know one person in the UK who doesn't drive
I don't drive, I never did (despite having a licence), whatever place I lived in (tiny village, small town, small town in the middle of nothing, small city, big city; detached house, semi-detached-house, flat) but I know I am the odd one. I am definitely not representative, the only thing cases like mine can prove is that it is doable (under some circumstances).
> European car ownership is lower than the US in general but it's a very very far way from zero.
Indeed. Let me pull a few more French statistics for a minute :-)
84% of households own at least 1 car (same ratio for the 25-39 years old, roughly the Gen-Y).
36% own at least 2 cars (40% of the 25-39 years old).
In 1990, when society and activity was already organised the same way as now, every home who needed a car already had one, yet owning rate raised by almost 10% since then, and the share of households who own 2 cars raised almost as much (for 3 cars it raised too).
In just the last 5 years, the number of vehicles raised by 4.5% for cars, 6% for vans, 3% for lorries. Meanwhile, the population only raised by 1%.
The number of vehicles has doubled since I was a kid (1980). Again, I was in the deep country and everyone who needed a car already had one.
1990, 1980, ... We had the largest superstore in Europe (or was it in the World?) a couple dozen miles away, that was already built in the 70s. France was a precursor in large supermarkets. So much for the image of the small village grocery (which exists too, but a large part (70-75%) of the consumption is made in supermarkets and superstores; even though now the largest of the latter decline, the former thrive).
Still somehow beats the places where I lived in Finland where the supermarkets and their car parks are in the centre of towns. In a small town, they actually are the town centre.
I don't think it came up this time but indeed it is common each time there is this kind of thread here. Same thing for the fuzzy 'walkability' concept.
> I think I know one person in the UK who doesn't drive
I don't drive, I never did (despite having a licence), whatever place I lived in (tiny village, small town, small town in the middle of nothing, small city, big city; detached house, semi-detached-house, flat) but I know I am the odd one. I am definitely not representative, the only thing cases like mine can prove is that it is doable (under some circumstances).
> European car ownership is lower than the US in general but it's a very very far way from zero.
Indeed. Let me pull a few more French statistics for a minute :-)
84% of households own at least 1 car (same ratio for the 25-39 years old, roughly the Gen-Y).
36% own at least 2 cars (40% of the 25-39 years old).
In 1990, when society and activity was already organised the same way as now, every home who needed a car already had one, yet owning rate raised by almost 10% since then, and the share of households who own 2 cars raised almost as much (for 3 cars it raised too).
In just the last 5 years, the number of vehicles raised by 4.5% for cars, 6% for vans, 3% for lorries. Meanwhile, the population only raised by 1%.
The number of vehicles has doubled since I was a kid (1980). Again, I was in the deep country and everyone who needed a car already had one.
1990, 1980, ... We had the largest superstore in Europe (or was it in the World?) a couple dozen miles away, that was already built in the 70s. France was a precursor in large supermarkets. So much for the image of the small village grocery (which exists too, but a large part (70-75%) of the consumption is made in supermarkets and superstores; even though now the largest of the latter decline, the former thrive).
Still somehow beats the places where I lived in Finland where the supermarkets and their car parks are in the centre of towns. In a small town, they actually are the town centre.