How far away does a place have to be to make you drive there instead of walking?

[question fear]

I voted 2 miles because when I'm not recovering from knee surgery I like to walk everywhere in town. On a good day I totally would have walked 2 miles...I kind of figured if it was 1-1.5 miles one way, then round trip was 2 miles or more and it was close enough to vote that in the poll.

 

[bradl]

It's all a bit relative, based on a couple of things:

1: How good public transportation is.
2: how long public transport runs.
3: how safe public transport is.

With that, standing rule for me is that if it is around a mile, I'll walk, or bike. If 3 - 5 miles, I'll bike. Anything more, I'd drive.

Now, bringing back in public transport, if I'm in a city where I can trust public transport (bus, light rail, subway, etc.) I'd take that over driving. I went everywhere in Omaha on the bus when I grew up there. In Australia, I took the train/tram/bus everywhere. The bus is so so in Vegas, and is okay here in Sacramento, though they just introduced light rail in my area. Hopefully it won't turn into how bad it can be in places like Chicago, New York, etc.

I just wish they had the daily/monthly/yearly passes here like they did in Australia where you can pay a flat fare, and be able to ride all of them for as many times as you need for the day/month/year.

BL.

 

[ShaneR]

If the distance to said point of destination is greater than that from myself to my car, then that destination is too far for me to walk.

 

[rdowns]

One of the things that attracted me to my new house was its proximity to the "downtown" area. I can walk to the bank, drug store, cleaners, take out food etc. Nothing wrong with a little exercise.

If a place is 1/2 a mile or further, the car it is.

 

[SkyBell]

I ride my bike into town sometimes, it's about three miles I guess.

Honestly, I would bike everywhere, but that's way too many uneducated drivers around here, who think that because they have a bigger vehicle, they can shove bikers completely off the road even if we're not in their way.

 

[localoid]

...That got me to thinking -- how far away does something have to be for you to drive there instead of walking? Assume you're not carrying anything, just want to get from point A to point B.

Distance isn't the only factor. Here in Central Appalachia it's common to have street and roads within city limits that have no sidewalks for pedestrians. To get from point A to point B, and you want to walk, you walk in a drainage ditch or walk in the road. In one town, the "geniuses in charge" built a new welfare office about two years ago and are just now building one set of sidewalks to it. Motorists had to be very alert driving along this 1/4 mile section of highway, since it was common to see young mothers trying to make their way along the route, wheeling their babies in strollers out in the middle of the road to avoid the ditch.

In another town, the "local geniuses" converted an old railroad bed to a walking trail. It starts in the middle of the city, but at the point where it ends, right across from several shopping malls, they didn't bother to build a pedestrian crossing of any kind. No button to push to get the signal to cross, no overhead pedestrian crossing, and not even a marked crosswalk. So, only a brave (or foolish) few will dare to try to make it across the 5 lanes of traffic (in between light changes). The result is that the trail is only useful as a place to walk back and forth on. You can't actually use the trail to (safely) connect to the outside world or commerce to shop, eat or even go to the town's only Starbucks.

This is the type of thing that happens when idiots are in charge...

 

[mkrishnan]

This is the type of thing that happens when idiots are in charge...

In Dearborn (where Ford's global headquarters are located), there are many places, especially nearer the Ford campus, where there are sidewalks along major roads but there are no walk / don't walk signs, no marked crosswalks, no over or underpasses, or any other aide to cross the street. The net result is that the sidewalks are nearly useless.

When I worked for Visteon, there was an excellent grinder restaurant less than 1/2 mile from my office, but getting there, across Ford Road, on foot, was basically out of the question.

 

[ZiggyPastorius]

For me, it's not so much the distance, but rather the distance and the time. I walk a few miles every night, to places way past my building of employment. However, when I'm actually going to work, I drive, because it saves me time. That's the kind of example, I'd say. I try to walk wherever it's efficient to do so.

 

[0098386]

I'd bike more if this area wasn't so hilly. I love it in Europe, at our place in Poland it's in the mountains, but the whole town is more or less flat so cycling is a cakewalk. You don't get flat around the Pennines, ohhh no.

 

[iJohnHenry]

Walking for no purpose is nice, and all, but if I am out and about it's usually for food.

And cold-cuts and frozen food do not travel well by foot.

 

[Melrose]

It depends on how my time is going. I like walking, but rarely get out and do it.

I'd say across town. It's a small town. Maybe half-way across town.. I never really thought about it. I know I used to work half way across town and walk every day...

 

[aethelbert]

I always hate walking somewhere. I find it too slow and it never fits into my schedule. However, I will ride my bike within about 20 kilometers each way. I even get to ride my bike around inside at work.

Other than that, I use mass transit a lot. I probably drive once or twice each month, and it's usually of distances over 100 km.

 

[Melrose]

I use mass transit a lot. I probably drive once or twice each month, and it's usually of distances over 100 km.

That's commendable, given pollution - well, and gas prices too - I wish we had mass transit where I live. In the meantime I drive a gas-sipping car to make up for it.

 

[iToaster]

I'll typically drive most places, seeing as most of the time I have some business there that requires me to bring heavy things, school (though half of the time a mile away) I prefer to drive to, the supermarket I prefer to drive to, between houses I prefer to drive, to friends' houses I prefer to drive, but for more localized things (like the park) I'll walk.

 

[Ugg]

There's a Starbucks just 3 blocks from where I live. I rarely walk there though, just jump on my bicycle. With panniers, I'm able to do most of my shopping via bicycle. I try not to drive unless I go out of town. Fortunately I live in a bicycle friendly town and it's also as flat as a pancake.

 

[0098386]

Walking for no purpose is nice, and all, but if I am out and about it's usually for food.

Can't argue with that! It's all me and my friends do now. Meet up and go for a 9-15 mile walk over the hills. We've done it so much that it's nothing now and beats doing bugger all indoors.
Also it's nice round here.

 

[Legolamb]

The part of the city that I live in is built around a mountain (actually, a dormant volcano); I live near the top. Going downtown is literally going down, and coming back home is, well, an uphill battle. I typically walk everywhere (between 1-5 miles) depending on 1) what I'm carrying - books are killers - my MBP not so much; 2) the weather (rain, ice, and heavy winter clothes; 3) the time of day (actually time of night is not too much of an issue but I'm sure it is for others. Then I'll walk down to where I have to be and taxi back.

 

[Counterfit]

Used to walk to and from college too. That's a 3 hour walk 3 days a week.

I wouldn't get home until 1AM on Monday nights if I tried that. Then I'd have to leave my house at 4:30AM to get to my Tuesday morning class. It may be 5 miles more by car, but 190 minutes less time.
I think I'll drive.
Public transit is out because RIPTA is stupid. 2h49m, which includes a one hour walk, and three buses.

 

[mkrishnan]

Public transit is out because RIPTA is stupid. 2h49m, which includes a one hour walk, and three buses.

I do hear you... a well designed public transit system has to take people where they need to go in a reasonable amount of time.

On the other hand, if I go out in Chicago (I live near work, so that's a 20 minute walk, as I mentioned), it takes...

- 45-50 minutes to get there if I want to go out in the Loop (rare)
- 60-90 minutes if I want to go out in the near Northern city
- 90-120 minutes if I want to go out in the far Northern reaches or the Northern suburbs.

But it's also worth it, even at those times, for instance, because I can drink and not worry about driving home. It is a bear in the sense that going out till midnight might mean getting home at 1:30, and going out till 1 might mean getting home at 2:30, but... it's worth it to me.

 

[jbernie]

400 yards.

Not because I am lazy. More because where I live in Denver and where I spend a lot of my time it isn't always practical to walk.
- weather freezing in the winter, boiling in the summer
- lack of sidewalks, street crossings, etc
- crazy drivers who don't know what pedestrians are (target practice)
- time, a cop out maybe but when time is short....

My drive to work is 2.7 miles, and in reality I should be able to walk it, though I just did 3 miles on the treadmill last night and doing that in an hour builds up quite a bit of sweat and with no showers etc at work... eww. Also as I am oncall every 5-6 weeks at least that portion of time is not practical, let me stop on the sidewalk and get out the laptop . Another issue, although my driving distance is only 2.7 miles, the walking distance is otherwise as you need to take a detour of through a statepark and it is not very direct.

During the winter the sidewalks are frequently covered in ice as it is a main road with no businesses/houses along said road so the sun is the responsible party to melt the ice, until it gets real bad and the local council gets out and clears it up a bit.

Back in Australia I never owned a car, my parents and I shared one car for about 5 years before I moved to the USA, walking & catching the bus was the norm. Also the weather in Sydney was better for walking in general.

Ultimately it is a personal decision on what suits your needs best. I would prefer to drive to work and spend about 10-15 minutes driving than 2 or more hours walking, walking doesn't add any value to my day as I would lose so much time from it. Yes I have a treadmill at home for walking, but I also have it in front of the tv so I can wtch my shows and get my exercise at the same time.

 

[takao]

depends on a few factors .. if i'm shopping groceries just for myself i'll walk since everything fits in a backpack
if i'm shopping for family while i'm at home i'll drive
then it's dependent on the weather and of daytime .. when going out we never drive with a car and only go to the clubs we can reach by public transport or walking

apart of that i would say time is much bigger factor ... normally i would say more than a 45 minute walk needs a bike, bus, or car

which perhaps has to do with my hometown having everything in reach within a 45 minute walk

 

[northy124]

Across the road really I'm that lazy if it further than across the road I have to drive, I mean walking is for losers without a car.

 

[Gray-Wolf]

Practicality, my time is worth more to me. I like walking, and walk 2+ miles a day at work. Wear and tear on the starter would cost more. But to go get things, a trip to the store, I will drive and not give it a seconds though.

Incidentally, when I drove AT work, I stopped and started the engine about 50 times a day.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

depends is the question for me. If I am feeling sick and need to go the the drug store .2 miles away I will drive. Sorry I feel like crap not going to do any more physical exertion than I I have 2s.

Depending on what I plan on getting I will normally walk to fries than is across the street from the apartment complex but quite a ways to walk seeing is I live on the complete opposite side of the fairly large complex plus a large parking lot. Means if it is anything that is large and has a fair amount of mass to it I will drive for easy of transporting the goods. But for things that are easy to carry I will walk.

More often than not when I stop at the places around where I live it will be on my way home from work so I will stop lets say at fries get what I plan on getting then drive home. Drug store the same way as they are both on my way. I tend to try to combine my trips for basic goods like food or things I want as an on my way home from work. Less gas saves money. That or a return trip from seeing from friends.

Walking to work is not really possible and the mass transit for work just well sucks.

As for walking about a .5 mile. I do walk to lunch most days at work in down town Dallas. It some where where I can walk, eat and get back with in the hour.

 

[mkrishnan]

depends is the question for me. If I am feeling sick and need to go the the drug store .2 miles away I will drive. Sorry I feel like crap not going to do any more physical exertion than I I have 2s.

Aren't you able to just transform into an RV or something like that? Or by "feel like crap," do you mean "running out of energon?"