Where in the World Isn't Bob Saget?

Wrangler-Rick

Wrangler-Rick

Just Horsing Around…
Premium Member
NYwdwfan said:
Are cars necessary or is there public transportation that would get you where you need to go? Our issue on Long Island, aside from all the people and cars and inadequate infrastructure, is there is virtually no public transportation so a car is a necessity. The LIRR only goes East/West and is expensive and not a viable option unless you are going to the city. And the bus systems, while they exist, really only go to the colleges and shopping malls. The real issue has become the lack of plowing after snow storms. I can't leave my house for a full day after it snows because it takes them so long to plow. That's been the real motivator in recent years for the shift to SUVs/trucks and other AWD vehicles. If you need to get to work or anywhere else when it snows, you need AWD because there's no guarantee the roads will be plowed when you need to go. I have 4 friends that work in ICU at local hospitals and their choice was either get an AWD vehicle or sleep at the hospital the night before a storm. They all opted for the vehicle.
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Wow!!! 😳I never imagined it was like that on Long Island!
 
Songbird76

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
NYwdwfan said:
Are cars necessary or is there public transportation that would get you where you need to go? Our issue on Long Island, aside from all the people and cars and inadequate infrastructure, is there is virtually no public transportation so a car is a necessity. The LIRR only goes East/West and is expensive and not a viable option unless you are going to the city. And the bus systems, while they exist, really only go to the colleges and shopping malls. The real issue has become the lack of plowing after snow storms. I can't leave my house for a full day after it snows because it takes them so long to plow. That's been the real motivator in recent years for the shift to SUVs/trucks and other AWD vehicles. If you need to get to work or anywhere else when it snows, you need AWD because there's no guarantee the roads will be plowed when you need to go. I have 4 friends that work in ICU at local hospitals and their choice was either get an AWD vehicle or sleep at the hospital the night before a storm. They all opted for the vehicle.
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Well, Europe is kind of a different beast as far as transportation goes. For one, Europe is a bunch of small countries....In the Netherlands, for example, you can probably drive from one end of the country to the other, the long way, in just a few hours. But, that means that having a car isn't really necessary. In fact, they try to encourage more environmentally conscious modes of transportation like bikes. I ride my bike to work, and parking is limited so people are asked to take bikes instead as much as possible. And one way they encourage that is gas prices and taxes. There's a tax on cars, based on how much your car weighs. (Another reason why cars are smaller here. Bigger cars are more expensive) But gas is somewhere around $7-$9 a gallon. You don't drive a car if you don't need to. Public transportation is available, but how good it is depends on where you are. Obviously, the bigger cities and busy areas will have more options. Where I live, it's not great. We live right on the edge of our town and just a few weeks ago, we got stuck and had to walk home because the buses only go until 6:30pm. I had taken DS to chess because DH had something else. I don't have a drivers license, and DS didn't want to go by bike. So we took the bus, but then when we came out, we didn't realize there were no more buses to our area. There's only one bus that has stops in our neighborhood, but it doesn't go in the evenings or weekends. So we ended up having to walk home. But even for field trips, kids generally go by bike wherever they go. My son's school is a 30 minute bike ride from our house and we aren't eligible for bus because we live too close. DD's school is only 10 mins by bike, and next year when she goes to jr. high, it will be even closer. But last week, they took a fieldtrip to Montforland, which is about 12 km away, and they sent a letter home asking parents to make sure our child's bike was in good order and the tires were pumped up. Snow is only a problem a couple days a year if at all, and if it is a problem, it's worse for the public transportation with delays and such than it is for cars. But no, cars aren't necessary here, and they actually try hard to make it more appealing to use public transportation or bikes instead. And I think that's pretty much Europe-wide, not just the Netherlands, but I could be wrong. In the Netherlands, we even have separate bike lanes on the streets, with their own stoplights.
 
NYwdwfan

NYwdwfan

Well-Known Member
Songbird76 said:
Well, Europe is kind of a different beast as far as transportation goes. For one, Europe is a bunch of small countries....In the Netherlands, for example, you can probably drive from one end of the country to the other, the long way, in just a few hours. But, that means that having a car isn't really necessary. In fact, they try to encourage more environmentally conscious modes of transportation like bikes. I ride my bike to work, and parking is limited so people are asked to take bikes instead as much as possible. And one way they encourage that is gas prices and taxes. There's a tax on cars, based on how much your car weighs. (Another reason why cars are smaller here. Bigger cars are more expensive) But gas is somewhere around $7-$9 a gallon. You don't drive a car if you don't need to. Public transportation is available, but how good it is depends on where you are. Obviously, the bigger cities and busy areas will have more options. Where I live, it's not great. We live right on the edge of our town and just a few weeks ago, we got stuck and had to walk home because the buses only go until 6:30pm. I had taken DS to chess because DH had something else. I don't have a drivers license, and DS didn't want to go by bike. So we took the bus, but then when we came out, we didn't realize there were no more buses to our area. There's only one bus that has stops in our neighborhood, but it doesn't go in the evenings or weekends. So we ended up having to walk home. But even for field trips, kids generally go by bike wherever they go. My son's school is a 30 minute bike ride from our house and we aren't eligible for bus because we live too close. DD's school is only 10 mins by bike, and next year when she goes to jr. high, it will be even closer. But last week, they took a fieldtrip to Montforland, which is about 12 km away, and they sent a letter home asking parents to make sure our child's bike was in good order and the tires were pumped up. Snow is only a problem a couple days a year if at all, and if it is a problem, it's worse for the public transportation with delays and such than it is for cars. But no, cars aren't necessary here, and they actually try hard to make it more appealing to use public transportation or bikes instead. And I think that's pretty much Europe-wide, not just the Netherlands, but I could be wrong. In the Netherlands, we even have separate bike lanes on the streets, with their own stoplights.
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It's fascinating to me to learn more about where people live. It's a great big world out there!
 
NYwdwfan

NYwdwfan

Well-Known Member
Wrangler-Rick said:
Wow!!! 😳I never imagined it was like that on Long Island!
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It's unique for sure! It's funny - to me I live in the suburbs and true suburban areas seem rural to me.

From Wikipedia:

With a Census-estimated population of 7,869,820 in 2017, constituting nearly 40% of New York State's population, Long Island is the most populated island in any U.S. state or territory, and the 18th-most populous island in the world (ahead of Ireland, Jamaica, and Hokkaidō). Its population density is 5,595.1 inhabitants per square mile (2,160.3/km2). If Long Island geographically constituted an independent metropolitan statistical area, it would rank fourth most populous in the United States; while if it were a U.S. state, Long Island would rank 13th in population and first in population density. Long Island is culturally and ethnically diverse, featuring some of the wealthiest and most expensive neighborhoods in the Western Hemisphere near the shorelines as well as working-class areas in all four counties.
 
Andrew C

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
NYwdwfan said:
It's unique for sure! It's funny - to me I live in the suburbs and true suburban areas seem rural to me.

From Wikipedia:

With a Census-estimated population of 7,869,820 in 2017, constituting nearly 40% of New York State's population, Long Island is the most populated island in any U.S. state or territory, and the 18th-most populous island in the world (ahead of Ireland, Jamaica, and Hokkaidō). Its population density is 5,595.1 inhabitants per square mile (2,160.3/km2). If Long Island geographically constituted an independent metropolitan statistical area, it would rank fourth most populous in the United States; while if it were a U.S. state, Long Island would rank 13th in population and first in population density. Long Island is culturally and ethnically diverse, featuring some of the wealthiest and most expensive neighborhoods in the Western Hemisphere near the shorelines as well as working-class areas in all four counties.
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And Raymond and Deborah live there.
 
NYwdwfan

NYwdwfan

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
You do. 😘
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Andrew C said:
ahh, really? That is awesome!
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Yeah, I do. When I went to school in Boston everyone was asking everyone else, "Where are you from?" but for me it was, "Where on Long Island are you from?". :hilarious: Leah Remini is way more Queens than I am but to someone not from around here we probably sound about the same.
JenniferS said:
That’s okay, she thinks I talk “Canadian”.
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Andrew C said:
you don't?
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She most definitely does.

I'm sure you speak Texan.
 

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