Everytime I’ve driven in EU capitals, I’ve been more frustrated than ever while driving. In every scenario walking, cycling or a tube would’ve felt more pleasant and quicker.
Traffic light after traffic light, constant congestion. What a mess. 20 minutes for a few kilometers.
When I lived in Bristol (England), it wasn't so bad for the most part (not that I had a car). Some smaller cities can still be pretty bad though; e.g. inner city traffic in Cork (Ireland) is just horrible. I was quite a bit faster cycling to the city centre from work than some coworkers were with cars, especially if you take parking in to account.
Driving might be faster, but with traffic and parking it's unpredictable. Public transit lets you see read on the way. Cycling gets you exercise and a usually entertaining ride.
Driving a car in a urban area is great for the driver but pretty terrible for everyone else:
- Congestion
- Air pollution
- Noise pollution
- Space taken up by parking
- Danger of being run over
It doesn't really matter if you walk, cycle or get public transport. These have much lower externalities.
> I personally do not feel safe on a bike in a crowded city. Even if you took cars out of the equation
This is a shame because the cars (and other motor traffic) are in fact the main danger. Retirees and children cycle everywhere in NL because it feels safe enough for them to do so.