When the World Collapses

Would more people walk or bike if there were good bike lanes? Probably, but that's really only addressing one (VERY IMPORTANT!!!) part of the effects of car-centered design on USAmerican cities. The other thing is that stuff has to be close enough to you to be able to walk or bike there. That requires zoning reform.

USAmericans don't drive everywhere because we're lazy or we can't stand the heat/cold or because there's hills or because we're unmitigated car-lovers. Like, any of those things may be true for any given USAmerican. But the real reason we don't walk anywhere is because we can't. Like, not only is it a 4-8 mile (6-13km) round trip in whatever weather or terrain (maybe that's not a lot? But it seems like a lot to me), there's also no sidewalks, high speed limits, huge cars with massive hoods, horrible sounds and smells, no shade, and nowhere to sit down on the way. If you have a wheelchair or stroller/pram or other wheeled thing of some kind, it's even more difficult. Theoretically it's possible to get around your average USAmerican city by walking, and realistically many people have to, but these places are really, REALLY not built for that; and practically speaking, if you have ANY other option, you don't walk.

He did a wonderful job, but as he was returning my plant to my custody, he explained "I watered her every other day, I gave her new dirt, moved her into the sunshine, prayed the rosary-"

"What?"

He looked at me, confused. "Isn't she a plant you pray with?"

"No," I said slowly. "She's a prayer plant. That's the... colloquial name of the plant."

Upon seeing his stricken face, I realized something went wrong. Turns out, this entire time, he's been including my plant in on his prayers and leaving her near icons.