America's vs other countries, how long would a walk be (to a shop or work) before you consider taking a car or taxi?

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Kittalia@reddit

To work? I used to walk about 20 minutes to work (probably 3/4 mile) through a fairly pleasant area and it was no problem. I don't think I'd walk longer than that just because of the time commitment unless the drive or parking was really a pain.

To the store? Carrying groceries is miserable. I've done it before when I've had to but never when I've had a car available.

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knysa-amatole@reddit

I generally consider "walkable" to be about 30-35 minutes. If something is 40+ minutes' walk away, I'll often call a rideshare (though if the weather is nice and it's daytime and I'm not in a hurry, I might walk instead). Also, if it would be a dark and deserted walk at night, then I might call a rideshare even if it's less than 30 minutes. (I don't drive.)

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RotationSurgeon@reddit

What time of year are we talking about? I’m willing to walk significantly farther during the winter than I am in the summer with 100°F / 38°C and up temperatures.

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mr_frpdo@reddit

For me and where my neighborhood is, car if I was going anywhere other than walking around the neighborhood (all houses so pretty much anytime I'm not walking for exercise)

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ericbythebay@reddit

What’s the weather? What am I doing? How much time do I have? Do I need to pick something up? Will I be drinking at my destination?

Why do other countries not take any of this into consideration?

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Apollis-Pion@reddit (OP)

Just asking for a decent day, no time limit or drinking just basic conditions. Just if you had that how much would you consider walking in your current area before driving or other transport.

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Arquen_Marille@reddit

What other transport? The majority of the US has no public transport. And ride shares aren’t available everywhere.

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ericbythebay@reddit

Sure we do, we have more airports than any other country. Most of them owned and operated by the government.

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Arquen_Marille@reddit

Do you know what public transport is? Airlines are private companies, not public transport...The buildings being run by the government doesn’t mean it’s public transport.

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TheBimpo@reddit

I live 10 miles from anything besides woods.

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HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit

It's only decent 6 months of the year and that's not accounting for rain.

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ericbythebay@reddit

15 minutes would be reasonable on a day with good weather.

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ultrasbooksandcats@reddit

Considering we only get like 4 “decent” days a year where I live no more than half a mile and not across a major road.

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No_Walk_Town@reddit

Why do other countries not take any of this into consideration?

I live in Japan and can answer this question: because you have literally no choice.

While the major 4 and 6 lane highways here tend to have sidewalks, a lot of streets don't. There are no setbacks for houses here, so no shoulder, no sidewalk, no bike lanes.

Corporations here can basically mandate that employees commute on mass transit, which isn't public - it's privatized and costs money. So transit stays in business because of what's essentially corporate kick-backs. Hey, we'll put our HQ in central Tokyo but not pay employees enough to actually live in Tokyo, and you can run the ~~cattle cars~~ er, "public" transit!

You just walk in the street because you have no choice. That's it. That's what makes Japan "walkable."

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ericbythebay@reddit

I’m not sure what you are talking about, every city I have lived in, in multiple states, has required sidewalks and setbacks.

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No_Walk_Town@reddit

I’m not sure what you are talking about

I'm talking about Japan.

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BulldMc@reddit

Well plenty of people do walk on the shoulder in the US, which isn't against the rules in many places other than on limited-access highways. It does sound like driving is safer and easier here though, which I guess makes it a more attractive option.

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No_Walk_Town@reddit

My point is more that in the US you actually have the option not to walk on the shoulder.

In Japan, you walk in the street because you have literally no other choice.

Urbanists will go on and on about, oh, transit gives you options - but, no, that's simply not true in Japan. You have to ride transit to get to work - then, on the weekend, you have to drive to go to the store.

People in Japan don't walk in the street because it's such a wonderful option for them, they do it because they have literally no other choice.

It has nothing to do with being a "more attractive option." In fact, the roads are so poorly designed here, that driving is often a worse option, you just have to live with the godawful road design.

The expressway here in Japan is 100% toll roads, and extremely expensive. But, again, you pay because you have no other choice.

That's kinda what I'm getting at, it has literally nothing to do with choice - Japan's mass transit system is successful and profitable because corporate culture here forces you to use it. You're forced to buy their services because your job won't let you commute any other way.

Sorry if I'm ranting, but I cannot emphasize enough that choice has literally nothing to do with it.

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meowmix778@reddit

This is just my take having studied abroad in Japan/living in Saitama for a year and traveling there yearly for the better part of the last \~15 years.

Your take on the rails is about correct. The JR rails were public for a while, and from what I understand, they sucked. Across the board, though, Japan has a bad habit of paying low salaries. I won't push back there.

But in Saitama, Tokyo, Kyoto and the other large metro areas I've been to, there are a lot of walkable areas that are extremely accessible. Now sure, you NEED transit to get from one end of a city to another , they're just too large. But the host family I stayed with seldom left the immediate area in Saitama sans for work. Immediate needs were roughly in that area.

I think foreigners overestimate the magic of Japanese rail. If I'm being honest, they kind of suck for any reasonable amount of time, and you frequently are one them for long times.

But in my experience most of Japan's urban centers are very walkable or especially bikeable. When you get to more rural places or even Hakone , yeah you're where you are or you're in a car.

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rawbface@reddit

My car is one of my favorite places in the world, why would I avoid driving in it? It's a comfort lounge tailored to my tastes that plays music and audiobooks. It's climate controlled and the seat is ergonomically configured to my body. What do y'all have against cars?

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PossumJenkinsSoles@reddit

It’s not really the length of time or miles but just the quality and safety of those miles, if that makes sense.

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Bingo. I could walk to pick up my kids at school but the road is winding with no shoulders big granite ledges right off parts of the road. It’s doable in summer but in winter it’s also snow piled like 6 feet high.

So we aren’t walking that.

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lissalissa3@reddit

I live about 1.5 miles from “downtown” of my town, less to our nearest grocery store and other shopping. Distance wise? Easily walkable. But the road I live on has no sidewalks, no shoulders, and even though the speed limit is relatively low, people speed like crazy. We tried walking our dog a few times when we first moved in but honestly it was too scary and dangerous.

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Number-2-Sis@reddit

Not just that but to carry groceries that distance.

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RiverTadpolez@reddit

To be fair, people in many countries buy groceries every day, so when we walk to the shop we're only ever walking back a day's worth of food, so it doesn't matter if we're walking miles and miles.

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Number-2-Sis@reddit

This is true

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Burninator85@reddit

Maybe if I was retired and could spend an hour walking to get groceries every single day.

I go grocery shopping every two weeks and get a full trunk.

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RiverTadpolez@reddit

In my experience, people in other countries who live in cities and who work, usually pick up their daily groceries on their way home from work, so the two walks are combined.

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Number-2-Sis@reddit

By the time you're retired, you may be willing to walk to the grocery store, but your body will probably rebel against the idea.

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shelwood46@reddit

I live about the same distance from a grocery store (1/2 mile) as I did when i lived in Princeton, but my house 30 years ago was on safe streets, a little hilly but mostly flat, and I was much younger and healthier. I walked often (though I usually drove to do my big shop bi-weekly, at a store that was further away but cheaper.) Now I live on the side of a mountain, on narrow country roads with no sidewalk, and I am old with mobility impairments from RA, damn straight I am driving now.

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Number-2-Sis@reddit

I live in the mountains now, there is a trail, bike trail a 1/4 mile from the house that takes you right to the grocery store about a mile up the trail. The only problem is the 1/4 mile to get to the bike trail. It's 1/4 of several curves, down hill, narrow roads. Not safe to take the bike down 😞 (I ride a recumbent bike) So I drive the the grocery store which is about a 2 1/2 to 3 mile drive.

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ToastMate2000@reddit

I used to walk that far to get groceries. I just took a backpack to carry them. But that was in a town with sidewalks and crosswalks.

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Darmok47@reddit

There's a grocery store half a mile from me, and there's sidewalks there. But its down a hill, so I'd be carrying groceries back up an incline.

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Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit

Back in the mid-80s when I was at UF, my roommates and I lived just one mile from the local Publix with sidewalk all the way. We walked down to it maybe once or twice to get groceries? It was such a pain in the ass lugging them back to the house, though, and Florida weather is so hot and muggy it just wasn't worth it.

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SteampunkExplorer@reddit

Same! There's a grocery store I can easily walk to, but it requires cutting across someone else's lot/field, which, as a bonus, is full of chiggers during the warm part of the year. And I haven't met any snakes, but I think there are 3 deadly species in my area? 😅 So that walk is only worth it if I'm snowed in, and now that grocery delivery is so common, it really might not be justifiable at all.

There's also a bigger shopping area that is technically within walking distance, but most of the walk is along the median on a divided highway, so no thanks! :D

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Iwoulddiefcftbatk@reddit

I’m just over a mile from Kroger and it’s not safe to walk to, there’s no sidewalks and you have to cross over an interstate on and off ramp before you have to cross a busy 4 lane state highway. The distance is easy, the walk itself has a high chance of getting stuck by a semi.

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Number-2-Sis@reddit

For me the safety issues concerns bears more then traffic

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SnooRadishes7189@reddit

It appears the trip was a bit too bearalbe......

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Number-2-Sis@reddit

😂

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molten_dragon@reddit

Yeah, I think a lot of foreigners miss that part of the equation when talking about whether an area is pedestrian-friendly or not.

There are several restaurants and shops within walking distance of my house, but to get to virtually any of them I'd have to walk along a road where people regularly drive 50 mph (80 kph) with no sidewalks. So I don't really walk anywhere.

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Crayshack@reddit

One mile of dedicated walkways is not the same as one mile on the shoulder of a 55mph road.

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StuffonBookshelfs@reddit

And the weather! It did not go above 30 degrees Fahrenheit here for any of December, January, or the first three weeks of February.

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SheShelley@reddit

I have the opposite weather in the Arizona desert, but same consideration!

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StuffonBookshelfs@reddit

Absolutely! At least in the cold weather, you can theoretically put on a bunch more layers. Not much you can do when it’s 115!

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SheShelley@reddit

People always say that but I hate layers! I can’t move very well and whatnot. I like to say, you don’t have to shovel sunshine. 115° is pretty intense and a/c is absolutely a must! And it’s the reason I drive down the block if I want to hang out with my friend 😂

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StuffonBookshelfs@reddit

You don’t have to shovel sunshine is an incredible line. Use that as often as possible please.

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Meowmeowmeow31@reddit

That’s a great way to put it. I live in a small city. 1/4 mile is nothing to me here, but there are exurban areas near me where I’d drive because there are no sidewalks and the roads are 8 lanes.

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SevenSixOne@reddit

Yeah, there are a few stores and restaurants and stuff within a 2-mile(ish) radius of where I live in the suburbs.

It would be a ~30minute walk to get to any of these places, which doesn't sound that long...until you realize that most of that walk is along a busy road with ZERO pedestrian infrastructure (and that you could get there in about five minutes in a car)

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saberlight81@reddit

Specifically safety. Given the sidewalk situation in my area, there is not a shop that could be close enough for me to consider walking to unless it was literally at the corner of my neighborhood. Although I'll also second the weather comment...from about May to September, not happening.

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AliMcGraw@reddit

Yes, I chose where I live based on the fact that my kids can walk and bike to their schools, the library, the community pool, several parks; and I can walk to a grocery store, several restaurants, an indie bookstore, the post office, a variety of shops. My kids can also walk to their orthodontist and pediatrician. I live a 10 or 15 minute walk from the commuter train that takes me to downtown Chicago in 35 minutes.

If I have to go to Target, I gotta drive. The sidewalks don't go there and the roads aren't very safe for a pedestrian.

(I usually drive to the grocery store for the "big shop" because shopping for 5 is a lot of food. For the "little shop" (perishables that don't last the two weeks between big shops) I'll often walk or bike, or send my kids to do it.)

My kids were born in a city that was relatively walkable but if you let your kids walk anyway, people would call the cops. So we made a very deliberate choice when we moved to the Chicago area to choose a suburb where kids walking or biking alone was normal and encouraged, and very safe, and to find a house in an area where our kids COULD take advantage of all that infrastructure to wander without me hovering. I don't even turn on location tracking on their phones. But HUGE quality of life increase when your kids can ride their bike to go meet their friends at the icecream shop or take themselves to the library for a project.

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chameleonsEverywhere@reddit

THIS. When I lived in the city, I'd walk 4 or 5 miles on a nice day rather than take transit or drive.

Now I live on a major road. I drive to the pharmacy next door because walking there requires walking along a sidewalk-less shoulder that is definitely unsafe for pedestrians.

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sv36@reddit

This. I lived in a city that had a three minute walk to a store and work but would never have driven it because it was absolutely not safe. Now I’ve moved somewhere else that’s much safer and regularly walk ten minutes one way for a pharmacy and 30 minutes the opposite way for a gas station with absolutely no issues.

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mar_de_mariposas@reddit

This and if the time is limited or something too.

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Appropriate_Answer_2@reddit

Your username is so pretty!

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catm0m4lyfe@reddit

This. I used to live in the city, and the people and cars made it not safe. Now I live in the boonies, and the mountain lions and bears make it not safe. 😜

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Number-2-Sis@reddit

And the weather conditions, as well as season.

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sneezhousing@reddit

Speak for yourself time AND infrastructure. I won't do more than 15 min personally lol

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Thick-Duck8925@reddit

My immediate thought as well. I'd probably walk up to a half hour to go to the store for groceries (and have done this when I've lived in walkable areas in the US) but if it's through areas without sidewalks/by highways/exposure to roads with 40mph+ traffic then I'm not even going to bother.

I had to walk down a Florida semi highway (65mph+ traffic) in the direct sun next to semi trucks barreling past for a mile to get into my parents neighborhood (then another 0.8 miles home in the neighborhood) and I honestly thought I was going to die every day lol like one loose hand on the steering wheel and I'm gone! And that was only a 35 minute walk

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Repulsive_Fact_4558@reddit

Sidewalks are not common. At least in Texas where I lived most of my life. So yeah you're walking in the grass in between a road with traffic and a ditch.

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Efficient-Panic3506@reddit

Honestly for me it’s like \~15–20 mins max if it’s actually a pleasant walk. Sidewalks, crossings, not playing frogger with traffic. Distance matters way less than “does this feel like I might die doing it” lol

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WrongJohnSilver@reddit

I live in a northern New Jersey suburb, so I'm blessed with a 15-minute walk to the train station going to NYC. There's a number of stores and restaurants nearby in this walking distance and I'm not opposed to walk there and back.

I started getting my groceries delivered during the pandemic and haven't stopped since then.

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tacobellbandit@reddit

We do have pedestrian infrastructure in cities I’m not sure what gives you the idea that we don’t but for me personally the length is typically weather dependent on my end. If it’s crazy hot out and I have a lot of stuff to take with me and I don’t feel like walking maybe I’ll take an uber but normal to and from idk like 2-3mi one way on a decent day? If I’m riding a bike idc really about the distance

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forestinpark@reddit

When I moved to USA, out of my apartment building I could see 300m to the left and right and road dissappears behind fences, trees.

There was a sidewalk in front and I thought "great, either go left or right, we will explore USA".

Once I got to edge of apartment propery or 300m either side, sidewalk ended. Fucking disgusting.

Now when I move, I look for urban places, it is important to me to have access to stores, bars, post office, etc 3-5km from me with walkable sidewalks.

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meowmix778@reddit

That's situational.

When I lived in cities it was pretty easy to get around with crosswalks/sidewalks. The small town I'm in now, there's a lot of traffic and no place to walk. I wouldn't consider really walking anywhere where.

Some large cities have places like this that are just impossible to access by foot due to massive roads.

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CountChoculasGhost@reddit

Of course we have “pedestrian infrastructure”. Do you think we don’t have dense urban areas?

I personally rarely drive. So I will walk to anything within maybe 15-20 minutes, anything more than that, bus, train, or bike.

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Ok_Anything_9871@reddit

Obviously there is some pedestrian infrastructure that exists in the whole country. Plenty of people in this thread are testifying that it is shockingly bad / non-existant where they are.

And they're talking about things like walking from a residential area to shops a mile away within an urban/suburban area. In many countries there's no question that that would be set up to be safely walkable, even for a supermarket or retail park set up where driving is the norm.

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No_Walk_Town@reddit

In many countries there's no question that

Is it? I live in Japan and that's not true here.

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Gallahadion@reddit

Can confirm. I still remember an incident during my first time there when my host mother was almost hit by a motorcycle coming around a blind turn in a narrow alley. The people riding bikes would at least ding their bells when approaching that same turn. And I once came uncomfortably close to getting hit in the face by the mirror of a passing truck while walking down the street.

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No_Walk_Town@reddit

Yeah, I live in a suburb of Tokyo, and a car is pretty much a necessity for anything you'd want to do on the weekend. People don't understand that the mass transit here (it's not public) primarily exists to get you to and from work in the city.

It's also insanely overcrowded, and I'm sorry, but no matter how good people want to make Japanese mass transit sound, if it's so overcrowded you have to constantly push and shove people out of the way to get on and off, that's not good transit - it's completely and utterly inadequate for the area it serves.

I always get a chuckle from American urbanists who think if only they had a bus stop in front of their house, they could use transit to go grocery shopping - literally nobody in Japan uses transit to go grocery shopping. You are not pushing and shoving your way onto a train at 200% capacity, then pushing and shoving your way off 30 minutes into your 1 hour commute to go grocery shopping - then pushing and shoving your way back onto the 200% over capacity train with a week's worth of groceries.

It's literally just not possible. What you actually do is stop at the convenience store on the way home for a glob of goop on crustless white bread for dinner because the grocery store is a 30 minute walk in the opposite direction. Then you go home and get in your car to do the grocery shopping just like America.

The actual difference is because you're forced to use transit for your commute, unlike America, you can't do any shopping on the way home. You have to walk home from the train station before you can get in your car and get anything done.

Sorry, this shit pisses me off so much, I'm ranting. The guy upthread is a pompous British dickhead who doesn't understand anything about how the world works outside of his little bubble (doesn't understand that cultures other than his own exist), but still felt the need to log onto this website to lecture people about stuff he doesn't understand and couldn't begin to comprehend if he actually tried.

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CountChoculasGhost@reddit

They said “America doesn’t have pedestrian infrastructure”. I answered. It does. It isn’t universal and isn’t as good as some other countries, but it does have infrastructure

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GreenBeanTM@reddit

The closest grocery store to me is a 30 minute drive along mostly roads without sidewalks, it’s also in New Hampshire just for good measure. Walking there is not a thing unless you have a death wish.

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devilscabinet@reddit

The only businesses that are within a mile of me are a gas station and a restaurant. Every place I actually shop is several miles away, at least, and that would require crossing some large roads with a lot of traffic (and few official places to cross them). I would walk to them if I had to, but the time it would take and the limited amount of things I could carry wouldn't make it worth it as a regular practice.

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Deolater@reddit

The nearest businesses are about 1.5 miles away from me. That's not bad at all, and I'll happily walk 3 miles for fun or exercise.

It's really not convenient for shopping though.

I imagine that if I had a job that close, I'd often walk there, but I can't really know for sure

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Open-Committee-998@reddit

When my friends and I go downtown it’s not uncommon for us to walk around for 2-3 hours. It’s a relatively small city and crime rates are fairly low, so it’s not super dangerous, although definitely uncomfortable at times. When I was younger one of said friends and I drove to San Francisco for a weekend. Walking down a single block was questionable at best and very dangerous at worst. Anything over 2 blocks and I would drive in a city like that (not being native to the area).

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DJPaige01@reddit

The grocery store is one block from my house and I have never walked. I walk on the indoor track at the YMCA. I don't want to walk when it is over 68 degrees or if it is under 66 degrees. I don't like the sun and burn easily. Pollen gives me a headache, mold makes my sinuses hurt, and I don't like the rain.

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Apocalyptic0n3@reddit

Distance is less important than safety. There's a grocery store literally across the road from me but to get there I have to cross 9 lanes + a median + a bus stop + 2 bike lanes. There's sidewalks and signals and everything, but all it takes is one idiot not paying attention and my life changes forever. And trust me when I say, there's plenty of idiots at that intersection.

Also, ~6 months out of the year here you basically don't want to be outside due to the heat and the sun. It can kill you if you're not careful.

tl;dr - I drive everywhere.

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life_experienced@reddit

I live 8 km from the nearest grocery store. I would have to walk along a major school drop-off route that has no sidewalks. I think it's reasonable to walk half a mile or so for a shopping trip but not 2 miles.

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ayebrade69@reddit

My mailbox and back

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InTheShade007@reddit

30-50 meters on flat surface of course.

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Bluemonogi@reddit

It depends more on what I am doing, the weather, where I would have to walk than distance.

If I am going grocery shopping the store might be a 20 minute walk but I am buying enough stuff for 3 people for a week and I can’t carry that very well on foot. There is no sidewalk so I would have to walk in the street and there is quite a bit of traffic on that street so it doesn’t feel very safe. If the weather is not good it could be a pretty nasty walk. I would get in a car to go grocery shopping.

If I have a doctor appointment it is about a 20 minute walk and there are sidewalks. I regularly just walk there. If the weather was very bad or I was very ill I would probably want to be in a car.

It is pretty time consuming to walk more than 20 minutes somewhere and more than 20 minutes home again. I generally can’t spend an hour or more just walking to places. I’ve got other stuff to do.

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ManufacturerDull4689@reddit

The inconvenient truth the Europeans never admit is that outside of large city centers, the suburbs and history districts the rest of Europe is just as dependent on private vehicles as much of the U.S. is. Same with Japan, China & much of Asia.

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No_Walk_Town@reddit

I live in Japan and I see so many urbanists online whine about their neighborhood in the US and they're literally just describing a normal day in Japan.

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Arquen_Marille@reddit

Yup.

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Diligent_Gear_8179@reddit

This is America. Nothing is within walking distance.

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94grampaw@reddit

The idea the American doesn't have side walks is wild, we have them, but not allways.

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HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit

Most people don't live in the city core, they live on the outskirts or even farther.

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Curious_Owl78@reddit

97% of US land is outside of any major city. My closest town is like 18 miles away, and there are no sidewalks there at all.

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94grampaw@reddit

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/urban-rural-populations.html

"urban areas, defined as densely developed residential, commercial, and other nonresidential areas, now account for 80.0% of the U.S. population"

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Curious_Owl78@reddit

I wasn't talking about population. I was talking about land mass...

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travelinmatt76@reddit

I would have to walk along a highway with cars driving 65 mph, plus it gets upwards of 110⁰F

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rogun64@reddit

This Rea depends on a lot of things, but I'll go with a mile. It may be longer or shorter depending on other factors.

The thing is that destinations are typically several miles and so walking isn't feasible, unless you plan on using the entire day to make the journey.

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KittyCubed@reddit

For me it’s weather. I live in Houston which is hot and humid and therefore miserable to be outside in for much of the year. I sweat a lot. So that makes it even more uncomfortable because then everything is damp.

I visited Cleveland last summer, and I had no problem walking around the city.

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HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit

It's not about distance, it's about practicality.

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eeke1@reddit

Assuming time isn't a factor it just depends on the walkability of the area.

That mostly depends on state and how urban the area is.

In my area I don't need a car, I can and have done everything via walking and public transit across the city.

If I visit Houston, TX for example, my range is limited to a mile from the end of the neighborhood, where the sidewalk abruptly ends. Frankly the climate is not conducive to walking anyways.

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Arquen_Marille@reddit

In one direction I have a library 1.5 miles away with okay sidewalks. In the other direction there are a few stores 0.9 mile away with no sidewalks and a dangerous road to cross. So I don’t really have any place to walk to that is safe. Then there’s the weather, which can be extreme.

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Unable_Pumpkin987@reddit

In my current neighborhood or the neighborhood I grew up? As long as it wasn’t rainy or terribly cold I’d happily walk a mile or two depending on the errand. We can and do walk to a grocery store, ice cream shop, several convenience stores and restaurants, bars, a library, playground, my son’s future elementary school, all with no problem. There are sidewalks and crosswalks and it’s all within 2 miles of our home. I could walk to my doctor’s office and my son’s doctor (same complex) if I wanted to though it would take about 45 minutes one way so I don’t usually.

Somewhere like where my parents live (rural) or my in-laws (suburban)? There is literally not anything within walking distance besides other residences even if the roads were safe to walk on (they aren’t). I could walk for hours before reaching a shop or office building from either of their houses. I would not attempt to go anywhere other than by car except a pleasure walk around the immediate neighborhood with no destination in mind.

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gasfacevictim@reddit

I live in a semi-walkable suburb with good sidewalks, and I'm used to crossing 8-10 lane intersections. Somewhere between a mile and 1.5 miles is when I consider driving, except in the hottest parts of the summer.

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pleased_to_yeet_you@reddit

I can't think of anything worth going out and getting that is worth the time it takes to walk to it. I usually pick things up from the store on my way home from work or on my way to my girlfriend's place. I really don't remember the last time I left home just to go get something I could easily walk with.

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Shot_Construction455@reddit

My nearest grocery store is 14 miles away. I live on a state highway with no sidewalks with a 55 mph speed limit. It is only three fourths of a mile from a different even busier 4 lane state highway with no sidewalks and a 65 mph speed limit. Both have heavy tractor trailer usage. I currently wfh but my former office is 40 miles away. Multiple highways and an interstate to get there. Not a single sidewalk on any of it. Nearest shops for clothes, etc would be more than 20 miles away and also require getting on the interstate. I never leave the house without getting in the car.

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TsundereLoliDragon@reddit

I mean we do, but it isn't amazing in some areas. I still drive to stuff less than 2 miles away. Why would I walk?

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I_Weep_for_Willow@reddit

Fresh air and exercise. Two miles? Buddy that's like a twenty minute walk haha.

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navifrog@reddit

Most people do not walk 6 mph...

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I_Weep_for_Willow@reddit

Yeah I should've done the math on that haha. Point still stands, two miles is nothing. Well, for some of us I guess.

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Landwarrior5150@reddit

Exercise, walking being free & usually more pleasant than driving and not having to worry about finding parking at the destination would be the big ones for me.

Of course, that’s assuming I don’t need to carry a bunch of stuff there and/or back, I’m not under some type of time constraint to get there/back and the distance & safety aspects of the journey on foot are both reasonable, but I would choose walking over driving the majority of the time if all those conditions were met.

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Eat_Locals@reddit

Somewhere with sidewalks (pavements), and decent weather—two miles.

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Low_Attention9891@reddit

It depends. If the weather is nice, sometimes I’ll intentionally walk vs taking the bus or cycling. But that’s in an environment where walking is a first class means of transport.

In areas where the sidewalks are an afterthought, even if there’s nothing objectively wrong with them (which there often is), it feels like you’re not supposed to be there due to the way it’s built. That’s why people will get in their car to go across the street in some cases.

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FancyPickle37@reddit

According to Google maps I live a 3 hour walk from the nearest store lol. I’ll park and walk to different shops if I’m in the downtown area but everywhere else makes more sense to just drive.

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Curious_Owl78@reddit

😆 I just checked, and it's a 5 hour walk to the closest grocery store for me! No thank you 😆

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-Boston-Terrier-@reddit

It really depends on what you mean.

Typically I would take my car anywhere that's further than like a block. There's plenty of times where I walk places because it's a nice day and I just want to go for a walk though. Like, I have no problem walking two miles to go to a restaurant on a nice summer day.

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sgtapone87@reddit

Yes the entire fucking country doesn’t have sidewalks and no one can walk any further than their garage.

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Apollis-Pion@reddit (OP)

I know they have some but its often said that compared to other countries its a bit lacking in areas. This is me asking to see if this is the case and curiosity.

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sgtapone87@reddit

Are there sidewalks in rural Spain or the UK?

No.

There are sidewalks in basically every American town.

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EBweB76@reddit

To me, nothing is in walking distance.

Even the bank on the corner (maybe a 7 minute walk there, because I’m old and slow) is somewhere I get in my car and go to. I wouldn’t call an Uber for it though - I’d walk if really necessary.

The only next nearby place is Taco Bell and it would take at least 20 minutes to walk. I’ve had it delivered to me, but mostly I just hop in my car and go.

I wouldn’t walk the exact 1 mile to the library - because I wouldn’t consider it urgent at any point. If I absolutely had to get to a gas station (perhaps to fill a one gallon jug with fuel) I’d ride a bike for the 1.4 miles there… in an emergency.

Anything beyond that, I’d pay Uber to take me. Walmart is 1.5 miles away (for grocery shopping) and I wouldn’t be able to go shopping and still carry it home on a bike.

There’s a bus stop at the corner where the bank is, but I’ve almost never been on a public bus. No clue what it costs, or if it requires exact cash or card.

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Curious_Owl78@reddit

Not walking at all. I'm rural. The closest small town with a grocery store is about 18 miles away.

My kids school is 15 miles.

Cars are a necessity for most areas in the US, other than within city limits.

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J-Bird1983@reddit

There are several factors in place that would base my decision on if I walk or drive. Rarely would I take a taxi. Where am I going? What am I going there for? What is the weather like? How much time do I have?

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baalroo@reddit

5-10 minutes if the weather is okay.

0 minutes if it's crazy hot, crazy cold, windy as hell, pouring rain, or snowing.

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Slow_D-oh@reddit

As a fellow Central Midwest dweller, there are maybe ten days a year when at least one of the conditions you listed isn't in full effect.

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_lisafrank@reddit

This tracks with how I think most people I know would respond.

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GradStudent_Helper@reddit

Yeah - a lot of it's the time and convenience. I mean, sure, I can walk to and from the store between my work-from-home Zoom meetings... but do I really want to be rushing in from the outside, pouring sweat, throwing groceries in the fridge and hopping on a zoom call? Nope. I'd rather drive in A'C comfort and get back with plenty of time.

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farmerthrowaway1923@reddit

Summer in Texas. 30 seconds in the limit.

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dirENgreyscale@reddit

It really depends on where you live? NYC? Your feet can get you far. Where I live? I live in a suburban area, it would be impossible for me to walk literally anywhere safely. The road I live on is notoriously dangerous to ride a bike on, forget about walking, it would be absolutely terrifying.

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anneofgraygardens@reddit

I saw America doesnt have pedestrian infrastructure

This is extremely location dependent. There's loads of pedestrian infrastucture where I live. How far I would walk depends a lot on how much time I have and what I am doing. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from my house to my town's center, and I have walked it many, many, many times. There is a grocery store downtown, so a really typical outing might be walk to the bookstore, then walk to the bakery to get a pastry, then walk to the grocery store to pick up a couple things before walking home.

I might drive if I don't have a lot of time, like if I need something for the meal I am cooking and I want to eat it sooner rather than later, I would probably drive to the store as opposed to spending 40 minutes walking to get it. OR if I need to get a lot of stuff and I don't want to carry it all. The walk is downhill to the store, and I don't want to carry a bunch of groceries uphill unless it's really necessary. (Like if my car is in the shop or something....I wouldn't take a taxi, that would be crazy for such a short distance.)

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LifeFindsAWhey@reddit

If I walk further than the exit of my subdivision I get onto the highway. I am not walking on that.

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JonMatrix@reddit

In Florida it really depends on the weather and time of day. If it’s the middle of August any walk of more than 5 minutes during the daytime is miserable.

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Defiant_Wasp1928@reddit

There's also the weather to consider. If it's cold enough to get frostbite in under 15 minutes then I'm not willing to be outside more than 10 minutes. Hustling to the car is all I'm willing to do, TBH.

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Donohoed@reddit

I drive to the store even though it's only about 2 miles but I also buy 2 weeks worth of groceries at a time and the road there is a hilly, unlit, 2 lane road with no sidewalk or shoulder that people tend to go unsafely fast on, especially considering how many deer I see on it

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BluudLust@reddit

Depends on walkability and weather. But about 15 minutes.

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Sal1160@reddit

Few streets over basically

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NeverRarelySometimes@reddit

It depends entirely on the weather. When it's blazing hot? 3 blocks is the limit. When it's pouring rain? 0 blocks. When it's a gorgeous day or a balmy evening, and time is not of the essence? Probably a couple of miles, unless it involves carrying groceries. And that's in my super safe neighborhood. I wouldn't walk even a few blocks where I work, unless I were in a group.

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Quirky-Invite7664@reddit

I don’t mind walking for fun. I recently walked 9 miles for exercise.

But I would never walk to work or the store. It would take me an entire day to get to work, and I would be walking on the shoulder on an extremely busy highway, which is illegal because it’s dangerous (like walking along the autobahn). It would take me probably an hour or more to get to a store, but I would still be walking along dangerous roads - and it’s too far to carry groceries or other packages home.

We usually take our dogs out for a 2 mile walk in the evening (if the weather is amenable). We walk around our local neighborhood. Most streets have sidewalks - but not all of them. Occasionally we’ll turn onto a street, only to realize there are no sidewalks!

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marylander_@reddit

The closest thing within walking distance to me in 30 minutes. there's no sidewalks during that walk and its on the side of a major road. and at the end of that road. so basically nothing

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Having_A_Day@reddit

There are no employers or shops within a 20 minute walk from my home. Along roads with no illumination, no sidewalks and (one would think) no speed limits or laws about driving under the influence.

Yeah, I'm driving.

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amphigory_error@reddit

How (most of us) shop and how things are sold here is also part of why we don't generally walk to stores outside of city centers (where people pay a big premium to be close to things). We aren't popping into a small store or two on the walk home from work and filling one or two bags with 1-2 days of necessities.

We're stopping at a huge supermarket in the middle of an hour long car commute from work, and spending a minimum 30 minutes there due to crowds and how spread out basic items are. We are buying large packs because the single unit price might be double. I buy 36 rolls of toilet paper at once. We buy milk and juice by the gallon. Lettuce comes 5 heads per pack. And buying the smaller packs of anything ends up costing much more.

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AliMcGraw@reddit

I chose where I live based on the fact that my kids can walk and bike to their schools, the library, the community pool, several parks; and I can walk to a grocery store, several restaurants, an indie bookstore, the post office, a variety of shops. My kids can also walk to their orthodontist and pediatrician. I live a 10 or 15 minute walk from the commuter train that takes me to downtown Chicago in 35 minutes.

If I have to go to Target, I gotta drive. The sidewalks don't go there and the roads aren't very safe for a pedestrian.

(I usually drive to the grocery store for the "big shop" because shopping for 5 is a lot of food. For the "little shop" (perishables that don't last the two weeks between big shops) I'll often walk or bike, or send my kids to do it.)

My kids were born in a city that was relatively walkable but if you let your kids walk anyway, people would call the cops. So we made a very deliberate choice when we moved to the Chicago area to choose a suburb where kids walking or biking alone was normal and encouraged, and very safe, and to find a house in an area where our kids COULD take advantage of all that infrastructure to wander without me hovering. I don't even turn on location tracking on their phones. But HUGE quality of life increase when your kids can ride their bike to go meet their friends at the icecream shop or take themselves to the library for a project.

So in an average week I drive very little. Grocery store, away track meets, to visit my siblings in the next town over (which requires using a state highway). Sometimes if it's pouring rain or really cold. But I can walk to most of what I need and my kids bike themselves where they want to go.

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AliMcGraw@reddit

Also we are getting a BIKE HIGHWAY this summer that goes to the high school. Lots of kids bike there but it's via local streets and at release there's a LOT of cars. The bike highway is totally separated from the road and zooms them straight to downtown and has its own stoplight and it's just very exciting.

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r2k398@reddit

If it is more than 5 minutes, I’m driving. Not because I couldn’t walk further than that but I don’t want to have to run home to get my car in case of an emergency.

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Sad_bippy@reddit

I’d happily walk for a while if our country was set up to do so. The problem isn’t the distance, as other people have mentioned. It’s the lack of actual pedestrian infrastructure. I’d walk a mile or two if I could. But to give you an example, to go to the grocery store in my town that would require walking on the shoulder of a four-lane road most of the way. No sidewalk. Some of the street crossings don’t have any pedestrian crossing at them. It would be like playing real-life frogger, which is not a gamble I’d like to be taking lol

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Legovida8@reddit

Absolutely depends on when/where/what. I’m lucky to live in a neighborhood in a large city, which is considered very safe & is very pedestrian friendly. Kids walk 1-2mi every day going to school (parents usually walk with them in the mornings, for the first few years:)). We walk to the community pool, shopping centers (supermarkets, pharmacies, shops, local restaurants, etc…), but rarely more than 3mi. After that, you need a car. Especially in the summertime- it’s Texas, so it’s just too damn hot & swampy to walk anywhere, unless it’s either first thing in the morning or late at night!

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husky_whisperer@reddit

Depends on whether it’s uphill both ways or not.

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goblin_hipster@reddit

For me, as a person who doesn't have a car, 2 miles is about my limit. That's roughly 40 minutes of walking. I take the bus before considering a taxi.

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wookieesgonnawook@reddit

I'm gonna be different than everyone else here. My suburb is fine to walk in to get to a grocery store or convenience store, but it's easy easier to drive. If I'm Chicago, where driving is a pain in the ass, I'm much more likely to walk or take public transit. If I'm in the suburbs where driving is super easy, why wouldn't I just drive?

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Maxorus73@reddit

Don't have a car, would never take a taxi they're too expensive. But I'd usually take the train or a bus if the walk is longer than 2 miles or so

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SirFelsenAxt@reddit

Problem here is that we've separated residential and commercial areas to such an extent that walking just isn't feasible.

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hisamsmith@reddit

If it was from my home, the answer is any at all. My house is on a state road with no side walks and the next two roads into town are highways, two lane highways but still highways. In town with good sidewalks on a decent weather day a mile each way is fine.

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Master-Palpitation39@reddit

I live in the suburbs, about 5 minutes walk from town center with a supermarket and all the stores you'd reasonably need.

I still generally drive there because it's easier than carrying groceries back and forth.

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razzberrytori@reddit

I could take a nice walk to the library. It’s at the nearest end of the shopping center that I could walk to safely. It’d take me about 20 minutes. I would not walk to the grocery store or Wawa I can see from the library as it’s not very safe. It’s better than it used to be but I’m not taking chances crossing an eight lane road, speed limit 50, where people regularly run red lights.

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IsThisDecent@reddit

Depends on context. I drive 3miles to get groceries but I will jog 8 miles for recreation.

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river-running@reddit

As long as the weather is good, I routinely walk up to 2mi round trip for small errands. I'll bike further. The car comes into play if the weather is bad, if I have to carry anything substantial, if I don't have the time to walk, if I'm not feeling well, or if the distance is more than a few miles round trip.

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Kyle81020@reddit

Your premise is flawed. The U.S is a mix, just like everywhere else. Many places have great pedestrian infrastructure and many don’t. The ratio skews more toward less pedestrian infrastructure in the U.S. than in many other places, but it’s not very different in many cities in the U.S. than it is in Western Europe, for example.

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curlyhairweirdo@reddit

It depends on why I'm going. If I'm doing a lot of shopping I'm driving even if it's just block away because I don't want to carry everything back. If I'm doing a job that requires me to spend the majority of the day on my feet I'm driving because I'll be too tired to walk home. I currently live in an area with no sidewalks so if I'm leaving my neighborhood I'm driving because it would be too unsafe to walk.

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DummyThiccDude@reddit

15-20 minutes, but it depends on weather and infrastructure.

I can walk pretty conveniently to a butcher because i can walk on a sidewalk and not cross any major roads, i could also walk to a supermarket but i have to cross the busiest road in town to do so.

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bonnardpainting@reddit

it completely depends on where you live. I live in nyc so I can walk everywhere. I walk several miles every day. I'll happily walk 40 minutes to meet up with a friend (although can also just hop on the subway) I am almost never in a car, I don't even use taxis/ride share often because there is such great public transit in my area, I can even take a train to go hiking upstate. However, I used to live on long island. Even a 10 minute walk was extremely unpleasant and dangerous because I was living in a suburban area that was full of highways to get almost anywhere and not build for pedestrians. I really couldn't do any errands on foot

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Apollis-Pion@reddit (OP)

For me personally in a European country, for daily commute 1.5 to 2 miles but for fortnightly/monthly stuff, I could go 4 to 5 miles but that might be me.

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sneezhousing@reddit

My closest grocery store is 1.5 miles and I would never walk there. That's over 30min in one direction

There are two stretches with no sidewalks I have to cross major 5 lane road. Then another major 4 lane road. Not to men the walk back with all the groceries.

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sneezhousing@reddit

I think I would only go 2 miles to the shops if weather was good. Like winter when it's negative wind chills and several kilometers of snow or summer and it's over 32 C I'm not walking.

I'm probably just spoiled though from driving everywhere for 45 years

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catm0m4lyfe@reddit

I wish! I currently work from home, but the job I had for 20 years was 18.5 miles (31.38 km,) each way.

That was an hour dive each way, involving 3 different freeways, and if I had wanted to take the bus it was something insane like 3 hrs and 6 transfers. Arizona is not a pedestrian friendly state.

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Shot-Artichoke-4106@reddit

I live in a city with pretty good pedestrian and bike infrastructure and nice weather. I walk a lot of places. Anywhere within a 30 minute walk, I am definitely walking. Farther, I might walk. Or I'll bike. Really the deciding factor is if I need to get something that I don't want to carry home.

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CreativeRiddle@reddit

Our suburban neighborhoods are very walkable but the stores are usually on major multi-lane roads. These large road are not very pedestrian friendly due to the amount of traffic and speed. I can get to 3-4 grocery stores by car in less than ten minutes. People here walk to school, to a park, library, sports center, or a friends house. Pretty much everything else is done by car. In Texas a third of the year is unwalkable because the heat is unbearable.

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Jmckeown2@reddit

I live about a mile from a “quaint” Main Street kinda town with several bars, restaurants, shops. I would NEVER drive there. On street parking is rare, the garages and lots are small, just not worth it.

Still bumming that my favorite restaurant closed recently. I’ve been dieting recently and not going as often. (The two facts MAY be related) but I would have had a “last hurrah” if I knew they were closing.

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misawa_EE@reddit

I’m in a rural area. Closest small grocery store is 15 miles away, closest bigger city store is about 30 miles. I’m not walking that.

When I am in a city, I’ll walk up to an hour to get somewhere just so I won’t have to drive.

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ZevVeli@reddit

As others have said here, it's a matter of the existing infrastructure, the time of year, and also what it is we're going there for.

For example, I used to live about 0.7 miles from where I worked. I walked there pretty much every day. But on the other hand, 0.7 miles in the other direction to the grocery store? I was a little less willing to walk that, because I had to cross more busy streets.

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nwbrown@reddit

I saw America doesnt have pedestrian infrastructure so got curious.

This is an incorrect generalization. Many parts of the US have pedestrian infrastructure.

As for how far I'll walk? Probably around 2.5 miles.

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DeiaMatias@reddit

Depends on the time of year. Fall, winter, and spring? A couple miles. Summer (which lasts from mid-May til mid-October) I'll drive if it's over a half mile. Sometimes less.

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CaterpillarKey6288@reddit

Unless you live in a city there are no sidewalks. Even in most cities the sidewalk are in bad shape except for the main streets. Some cities are starting to make walking paths/bike paths but they are normally by rivers and parks made for exercise not get to shops/work areas are.

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claudiatiedemann@reddit

I live a mile from shops. I live in Georgia though so much of the year it’s extremely hot and humid and while there are sidewalks to get there there is no shade so I drive. I also drive because I’ve get too much to carry at the supermarket.

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UnRealisticDepths@reddit

So many variables...... Much of this depends on 'where' in America one lives and works.

There was a time when I lived withing cycling distance of work even though it was at fairly high risk due to sharing the roads with traditional traffic at times. But cycling to work was only possible in winter and our two weeks of spring - before the seven months of hell on earth that Texas refers to as summertime. This changed when I met my other half after my deployment and moved in with her - then my drive to work and back was 130 miles each day.

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CaptainMalForever@reddit

Depends on the weather. In Minnesota, there are four months of the year (at least) where there is snow and ice on the roads and sidewalks.

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the-quibbler@reddit

Half a mile or so. Depends on the sidewalks. Most places they're hit or miss.

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venus_arises@reddit

... we do have like, sidewalks and zebras. I live in a warm-weather state, and plenty of kids walk to and from the public schools. Now, we do live in a more walkable part of the city.

That said, it all depends on location. I just walked 4.2 miles to and from the post office and the further grocery store (why not, it was right by the post office). It was a nice long walk and I listened to my podcasts. That said.... sun's really bright, so I guess anything more than that?

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WhoWouldCareToAsk@reddit

I live in suburbs and we have a very well designed and safe sidewalks. Nearest coffee shop is about 1 mile away. But I don’t like that one; I’m walking to a different one, which is 1.65 miles away. They take ApplePay so all I need to carry with me is my iPhone. Everything else is farther away: Walmart - 3.1 miles; Costco - 4.5 miles, etc. No way I’m carrying grocery bags such a distance, regardless how awesome are the sidewalks...

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ShelbyDriver@reddit

How much am I carrying back with me? How is the weather? Are there sidewalks? Will I be ambushed by scammers/homeless/beggars?

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Gold_Telephone_7192@reddit

Lol America absolutely has pedestrian infrastructure. You can walk everywhere within city limits in 90% of cities and most suburbs.

Anyway, it depends if I have a time constraint or how the weather is, but generally I’d walk up to 3 miles one way before I would almost always use a car.

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monstera0bsessed@reddit

30 minutes walk before I consider, bike, uber, bus or car

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moosieq@reddit

It's about a 2 mile walk to my nearest grocery store and in the winter and autumn it's a fine walk. Last year's peak summer temperature was 118F (48C) and there's no shade so I'm not walking in that.

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2Beer_Sillies@reddit

Who told you America doesn’t have pedestrian infrastructure lol

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fatpad00@reddit

That answer greatly depends on the location and even time of year.
Where im at, 1/2 the year it is too hot to walk more than a 100 yards or so without sweating profusely

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tcspears@reddit

I saw America doesnt have pedestrian infrastructure

First off, that is not true at all. Every city and town has pedestrian infrastructure. There are differences between each state, as each state has its own culture, laws, rules, et cetera, but there is no city or town with zero pedestrian infrastructure. Cities, will have a TON of pedestrian infrastructure, but more rural states and areas will have less.

That said the answers to how long people will walk will also depend on the state/region and whether they are in a city or rural area. I'm in Boston, which is in New England, and we're one of the oldest parts of the US and densely populated across smaller states. I can walk 5 minutes in any direction and hit a grocery store, coffee shop, et cetera. I used to work with someone in Montana who had to drive 3 hours to the nearest grocery store. So they have nowhere to walk, but I walk much more than I drive or take a rideshare.

For me it also depends on the weather, not just the distance - 8 months out of the year it's freezing cold, snowy, rainy, or otherwise not pleasant. A 15-30 minute walk on a sunny day is nothing for me, but if it's a blizzard, I'm probably taking an Uber, driving, or public transportation.

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Qi_ra@reddit

I take a car everywhere, even just around the corner. The main street near my house has a speed limit of 45 MPH (many people drive much faster than that) and there are no sidewalks. It’s just dangerous to try to walk, even if it’s not too far.

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animepuppyluvr@reddit

I easily walk 45 mins to dinner with my husband and dog sometimes. Depending on weather and sidewalk availability I'd probably be fine walking up to an hour and a half one way, assuming I wont be walking for a while after we get there lol

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Salarian_American@reddit

It entirely depends on where you live, and where you live specifically in relation to the place you're going, what the roads are like between you and there.

It also makes a big difference what you're going to do, what you need to bring with you and what you need to bring back.

It's 4.8 miles (7.7 km) to the nearest grocery store. The roads between here and there don't have sidewalks or shoulders or bike lanes. I could walk that in a pinch, but only in a pinch, and definitely not with a week's worth of groceries.

At one point my car was broken and I tried to figure out how to get to work without one. The answer was: Wake at 5 AM, walk 2.5 miles (4km) to the nearest bus stop, board a bus for a 2.5 hour bus journey, and get dropped off 4 miles from my office and walk the rest of the way. In February, in New England. And I would have been completely out of luck getting home because work ended at 5:30 PM and the last bus departed at 5:00.

And that's the reality that a lot of people are faced with if they don't have a car.

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PerformanceDouble924@reddit

I live 5-6 blocks from the supermarket and I'll drive more often than not, because it's faster and I usually want snacks asap.

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manicpixidreamgirl04@reddit

For a daily commute, I would walk up to 1.5 miles if the weather is nice. If the temperature is over 85f or below 30f, (for almost half the year, it's either one or the other), I would take public transportation.

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sweetchemicalkisses@reddit

It depends on the area. I live a mile from the grocery store but I would never walk there due to the lack of side walks or cross walks.

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Confetticandi@reddit

I live in San Francisco and don’t own a car.

When I lived in Chicago, I didn’t own a car either.

There are some walkable cities in the US. It’s just not every city.

And which transport form I decide to use kind of just depends on weather and how much time I have.

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sorryimgay@reddit

The only places I regularly visit via walking are the pub and an ice cream store.

The other places I want/need to go would take hours to complete that trip or require crossing multiple main highways in an area where pedestrians are typically a surprise to drivers. I generally feel safer as a driver rather than a pedestrian.

I used to live in the same apartment complex as some of my friends who would still rather drive than walk over when they wanted to visit and hang out. Driving like that is super lame in my opinion, lol.

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queercactus505@reddit

When I lived in a big city, I walked everywhere unless it was 30+ minutes away and I was in a time crunch. I did drive my car to the store sometimes to haul back groceries.

If I lived somewhere with sidewalks and there were places to walk to in walking distance, I would still do that on nice days, but those things are no longer true.

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9thSphere@reddit

I used to walk ~2 hours one way, round trip a couple times a week to hang out. School was ~1r. Work was a ~30 min walk. Average now though, maybe 45-hr before I'd call a ride, assuming I'm not too tired to just say fuck it.

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thingsbetw1xt@reddit

More than 2 miles is a waste of my time.

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ProfessionalCat7640@reddit

My place of employment is 60 miles away, the closest shopping plaza/mall is 25 miles away, the closest grocery store and medical clinic is 12 miles away. I’m not walking any where.

My brother lives in a large city; he doesn’t even own a car and typically walks everywhere but his rent is higher and he has much less space than I do but walking is definitely, primarily his mode of transportation.

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KingOfTheFraggles@reddit

2-4 blocks. More than that and I'm driving.

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NeartAgusOnoir@reddit

It isn’t safe in most places to walk in America…either you risk getting run over, or robbed depending on where you are. And America is HUGE….basically all of Europe can fit in America with room to spare. So if you’re not in a city, then you have to drive or get a ride somewhere.

I live a mile from the nearest store….if I walked I would likely get splashed from all the puddles, or I’d be forced to walk in mud and plants that would make me itch. Also….the bugs….they suck here in America lol.

And let’s not forget the temp changes in you live in the south….starts out cold (jacket weather) at 8am, you need shorts by 2pm, and a long sleeve shirt is comfy by the evening. Often the weather is sunny and pouring rain.

America is great, but Mother Nature has ADHD here.

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pyrrhicchaos@reddit

I've had food delivered to me from 0.3 miles away. Sometimes I drive to pick it up. If it's nice weather and I'm feeling okay I would walk that far or farther.

If I was going to be buying a lot of groceries, I would drive.

We have free public transit in my town, but it takes a couple of hours to get most places because the busses run on the hour and most retail is on the outskirts of town. I can't take transit to work because the busses don't run early enough for the start of my shift and it's too far to walk, especially at 4 AM. Since I have to have a car anyway, there isn't much point of not using it.

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ritchie70@reddit

There’s a Whole Foods about 1.25 miles away. There are sidewalks the whole way. I’ve walked, bicycled, or used a kick scooter to get there many times.

There’s a Jewel grocery about 1.6 miles away. I’ve biked that but would not walk it, although it would be safe to do so.

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TurtleSandwich0@reddit

How much stuff am I buying?

If the weather is nice and I only need one item, I would walk up to one mile.

But I regularly drive less than that for grocery shopping.

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CDA_CPA@reddit

Farther than next door. My town has no walking infrastructure and is actually dangerous for pedestrians.

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meltingintoice@reddit

Since I live in a community with a walk score well over 90 — if the weather is good and I have plenty of time I will walk up to a mile or two. If walking will take too long or the weather is bad and there is no subway nearby I will take an Uber.

I have been in groups of other Americans where we debated whether it was silly to walk or silly to ride three blocks (8 minutes) in cold or hot weather. Opinions are divided.

The range of quality of pedestrian infrastructure in the US hugely varies. If you are going to a Dollar Store or Home Depot you will almost certainly drive because walking may be close to physically impossible. If you are going to a bodega 2 blocks away you will never drive, because it would take you longer.

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Competitive_Web_6658@reddit

For work? Two miles. Anything more than that and walking would be inconvenient compared to driving or biking. I’ve walked 3-4 miles for restaurants or shops, though.

I’m fortunate to be able to live in a walkable area of my city. When I lived in a godless suburb my job was 1 mile from my home and I had to drive there, because there were no sidewalks.

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Medium_Yam6985@reddit

There are three grocery stores within a quarter mile of my house in the suburbs. I drive to them. I’ve walked a couple times, but to your point, the pedestrian infrastructure is non-existent. A few things on those quarter-mile walks:

overgrown vegetation all the way to the road
the sidewalk stops and starts (not continuous) lot-by-lot
I need to use three crosswalks to go across one road (the fourth direction, which would be my direct path, doesn’t have a light)
assuming you live in Europe (this is just a guess), it is significantly hotter and more humid here

I work in Italy, and I’ll walk everywhere. It’s much more convenient. Opposite is true when I’m at home.

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1boog1@reddit

America is huge. So it will all depend on where you are.

Way out in the country, it could be a 2 day walk to get to the grocery and back home.

In a large city with sidewalks and public transit, you might not even need to own a car.

I live in an area that I could walk to get to a small store, a haircut, or some fast food. But not really much more than that. Can walk the neighborhoods for exersize.

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shammy_dammy@reddit

Depends on the weather and the route.

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Dontyellatmeimnice@reddit

This is totally dependent on where someone is as pedestrian infrastructure varies widely, even in the same city. On a daily basis I am never without my car. I will walk to neighbor's house for a social visit up to 1/2 a mile away if the weather is good and I don't need to carry a bunch of stuff, but either of those things will put me in my car. I am unlikely to walk to even the closest businesses to my house because the road with fast moving traffic that they are one doesn't have a sidewalk. But if I'm downtown in the urban area and the weather is good, I'll walk 15-20 minutes to get somewhere. The problem is that if I'm going from point A to point B by foot downtown, my car is still at point A, so if I walk 20 minutes to point B I know I will need to walk back 20 and then drive my car 30 minutes back to my house, so often I'll just move the car because who has time for that on a normal workday?

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TheItinerantSkeptic@reddit

Depends on the geography. If you're in flat areas, many people would walk a couple miles if necessary. If it's up-and-down geographically, anything over a mile is probably the point when many would call a cab or rideshare.

There are cities attempting to build better pedestrian infrastructure, but it's important to realize the car is deeply baked into the fundamental American psyche. We have 3.8 million square miles all under one national banner. Within some cities, sprawl is serious, and a car or public transit is often the only practical way to reach a destination. Also important to remember: America is only 250 years old. We don't have the compact infrastructure typical in European nations which can be over 1,000 years old, growing up in times long before the car arose.

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azulweber@reddit

I’m lucky enough to live in a major city that is very walkable, so personally I always choose to walk if I can make it in 30 minutes or less unless I’m running late for something.

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davidm2232@reddit

Anything further than 5 minutes and I'm driving. Less if it's bad weather

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Parking-Poetry-1066@reddit

I will walk a lot farther if there are safe sidewalks or quiet, slow-speed streets than I will if I have to be wary of close, fast traffic. I will walk more if I have less to carry than if I need to haul heavy or bulky items. I will walk much further on a decent day in daylight hours than I will in bad weather or at night (but I have no issues walking at night on good sidewalks with lighting in a safe area).

In an area that's treacherous enough to pedestrians, I will get in the car just to cross the (busy, horrible, crosswalk-lacking) road.

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No_Election_1123@reddit

When I leave my car for new tyres, that's a 2 mile walk and that's about the limit. The car's mechanics are further up the road for a 3 mile walk and that's too far. Fortunately a bus route goes pass my house to the garage. So I'll usually take that

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TiFist@reddit

It depends a lot more on the weather and the safety of walking. I live in an area where for 6 months of the year it's dangerously hot to be outside during most of the daylight hours so I'm vehemently not walking very far.

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SabresBills69@reddit

Large cities havr oarts * downtiwn near colleges)l, along subway/ light rail stations) and smaller towns are very walkable.

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MuppetManiac@reddit

In summer, 0 minutes. It gets so hot here a 10 minute walk would have you drenched with sweat and a 15 minute walk could give you heat exhaustion. A half hour walk could prove fatal.

In good weather I’ll walk an hour or more for entertainment.

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sendme_your_cats@reddit

Well I live in a humid swamp where checking your mailbox during a summer day will cause you to be drenched in your own sweat.

So no longer than a mailbox.

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moonpie99@reddit

It depends on how safe it would be to walk somewhere, I think that's the big part, and what the weather is. For me personally, it would take a 20 minute walk to just get out of my neighborhood so at some point it's just not worth it.

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Ok-Energy-9785@reddit

If I can't see it from my house I'm driving

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No-Past2605@reddit

It's a safety thing to me. I drive to things that are closer just because I don't wan't to have to cross some of the roads. They are not safe. Also, I live in the desert. I don't want to walk a mile each way when it is 105 degrees outside.

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SensibleBrownPants@reddit

I took two walks yesterday. Work to train = 2.7 miles. Store to home = about 3 miles

But I’m not “typical” in this regard.

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CharlesAvlnchGreen@reddit

It depends where I am. If the only route is a busy thoroughfare without a sidewalk or roadside that's walkable, it could be dangerous to walk even a few blocks.

On the other hand, if I'm in a walkable city with sidewalks and clearly marked intersections, it would depend on the weather, time of day, my timeframe, what I plan to be wearing, how my knees feel, and the cost/availability of parking and cab fares.

Under ideal conditions, I'd walk as much as an hour (3 miles). Under non-ideal conditions (lack of safe pedestrian route especially), zero minutes.

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pinniped90@reddit

At home, work is 6 miles away. I've run home before just for fun, but realistically I wouldn't do that regularly.

If I'm on a business trip in a city, I'll usually walk anything up to about 20 minutes unless the weather is bad. Longer than that Uber or transit.

And America does have pedestrian infrastructure. It's a weird Internet trope that it doesn't. True, not every road has trails or sidewalks, but this is also true in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

New residential areas are often intentionally designed without sidewalks as a traffic calming mechanism - cyclists, walkers, runners, and cars are all expected to use the road with the cars at very low speed.

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ServoWHU42@reddit

There isn't anything other than houses within half a mile and I don't know any of my neighbors. So unless I'm dropping off someone's misdelivered Amazon package, I'm driving.

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Temporary_Linguist@reddit

The nearest shop to my home is a gas station 1.3 miles away. That shows as a 30 minute walk due to hills and lack of sidewalk.

Walking even that is unsafe. So, from home, every run to a shop is by car.

If I was already parked downtown then I would explore on foot a couple blocks at most due to mobility limitations. If I had my scooter then I would use that to go up to about a mile before I would consider moving my car.

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Easy_Arugula935@reddit

It depends. I'll happily walk an hour/3 miles to something if it's a nice day out. Or ride my bike 2-3 hours each way.

If I have to drive (yuck) I prefer trips under 20 minutes.

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Maybeitsmeraving@reddit

To avoid a taxi, definitely 30 minutes, maybe 45, depends a little on how punctual I need to be and the weather. If I'm driving myself, it's a pretty squishy equation of traffic, parking, weather, and how much I'm carrying. Anywhere from zero to 30 minutes.

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Savilly@reddit

Your premise is pretty off base.

There are probably more Americans living in super walkable cities with awesome infrastructure than there are people in your country.

There are also probably more americans that live 10 miles from their closest grocery store, with no transit or sidewalks, than there are people in your country.

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notthegoatseguy@reddit

I live by 3 20+ mile trails, a bus stop on my corner, and a BRT platform within walking distance.

Owning a car is still a huge benefit even if I technically could do everything on bike or by bus. It easily justified the cost.

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Familiar-Menu-2725@reddit

Im in Florida, 15-20 min is the max.

Also there is nothing 15-20 min walk from my house.

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SamAllistar@reddit

Probably around 20-30 minutes, although I do enjoy walks and may just walk further because I feel like it or incorporate into a walk. The bigger issue for me is that I would be crossing 4 lane roads and don't have sidewalks a lot of the time, and the stores are 2-3 miles from my house.

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yozaner1324@reddit

My city has sidewalks and bike lanes and such and is decently walkable. I will usually walk somewhere if it's within 15-20 minutes, more if I don't have a time contraint and don't have to carry many things on my way there or back. I'll walk 30 minutes or even a bit more to a concert or something, but no more than about 15 minutes getting groceries.

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FireCorgi12@reddit

As someone who lives in a small, rural, non walkable town, I wouldn’t walk more than 5 min to get somewhere. We don’t have sidewalks hardly anywhere.

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z44212@reddit

2-3km

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Huge_Statistician441@reddit

I walk everywhere in my area in LA (which is very rare). I have taken a 45 min walk to go to the beach and didn't regret it.

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RioTheLeoo@reddit

If I can’t reach somewhere within an hour and a half by walking + transit, then I’d call an Uber

Luckily the area where I live has good bus and rail and access, because I reuse to drive on our freeways lol

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Pficky@reddit

I'd say about 15-20 minutes or 1-1.5 miles (2-2.5km) generally. If I'm in a particularly walking mood I might go further but that's my usual.

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Wild_Ticket1413@reddit

I've worked in a few locations that had food/shopping/services within walking distances of my office.

If where I wanted to go was less than a 10-15 minute walk, I'd walk. (Unless, of course, it was raining.)

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GreedocityOnSmite@reddit

If theres a sidewalk and sufficient lighting i'll walk for hours.

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xmetalheadx666x@reddit

American: 1 hour

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janegrey1554@reddit

If the weather is okay (between 30-80F, not raining or snowing intensely), the pedestrian infrastructure is in place, and I don't have to take my kids with me, I would walk up to 30 minutes to a destination before resorting to driving. I routinely did this in my 20s in major cities.

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Complex210@reddit

Anything further than where my car is parked.

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la-anah@reddit

In good weather, about 30 minutes would be the cutoff. Although I have certainly walked longer under the right circumstances.

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Rudyjax@reddit

closest store to me is 1.25 miles. i walk sometimes when the weather is nice.

I walk to work every day though. but i work from home.

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DaisyCutter312@reddit

Depends on the situation.

I'd be far more inclined to walk, even if it took longer, if it wasn't an activity like work that required me to be there at a certain time, often quite early.

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Fecapult@reddit

Depends where you are. In the city center you're probably walking or riding a bike a lot. In suburbs or rural areas, it's pretty much cars all the way.

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Several_Celebration@reddit

I live in the suburbs of Chicago. I walk to the train and grocery store. About a 30 minute walk though.

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revengeappendage@reddit

I mean, it’s also going to depend a lot on traffic, and weather, and where I’m going.

I’m not walking to grocery shop. Ever. I gotta take my giant SUV, to get all my bulk groceries to last a month to bring home to my giant house with my giant pantry.

Honestly, anything more than 10-15 mins, I’m not walking to work either.

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hobbes747@reddit

Not in rural towns which is most of the country by land mass. But country has ‘pedestrian infrastructure” in rural areas? Or frequent public transport?

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ThePurityPixel@reddit

America's what?

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hardworkinglatinx@reddit

15 minutes.

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hemlockone@reddit

Can you reach a whole mile in 15 minutes on whatever infrastructure you have available to you? Is that just housing or can you accomplish errands, activities, whatever?

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Future-Cry5734@reddit

If I could safely make the trip without my car, I would walk as far as 5-10mi. That said I am fortunate to live within walking distance of some shops. Most people around me cannot safely do so due to car traffic.

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grrgrrtigergrr@reddit

I live in a city with very good pedestrian infrastructure. There is a German butcher shit 1.5 miles from me that I walk to regularly.

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NaturGirl@reddit

30-40 minute walk. Unless I had a lot to carry.

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DuelJ@reddit

Around 20 minutes

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Blue387@reddit

I can walk for one or two miles, less if the weather is bad. I would take public transit instead of taxis.

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Unhappy_Performer538@reddit

It can be dangerous with no sidewalks. It was example to walk around my childhood home for example bc the speed limit was pretty high with no sidewalks. No crosswalks. It would’ve been nearly a 3 hour walk to school.

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Jedi4Hire@reddit

Depends on how unfriendly the area is to pedestrians, the weather/season and whether or not I need to transport more than I can easily carry. 20 minute walk to the park via sidewalks to get some fresh air? No problem. 10 minute walk via streets to the grocery store? No thanks.

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MrShake4@reddit

Depends on the weather and how far parking is from where I want to be.

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OneNerdyLesbian@reddit

I live right smack dab in the middle of in a small town. It's small enough that I can walk anywhere in town in about fifteen minutes, and that's fine. If I need to go somewhere in town, I'll walk. But beyond that is mostly farmland, and all the roads out of town are highways with no sidewalks or safe ways to walk, so I'm not leaving town on foot.

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Agreeable-Sun368@reddit

It's less about the length of the walk and more about the safety of the journey. I live 1.5 miles from a target, and I would walk that distance happily, but to walk to this target, I would have to pass under a highway overpass and walk beside 6 lane roads. So even though the distance is fine, the journey is not safe.

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