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I just spent a week in New Jersey. It was not possible to get anywhere without a car. I had to take a lot of Ubers from my hotel. Surrounded by large multi lane roads and car parks. No pavement to walk even if you wanted to. Every business needed a huge car park. Everything was incredibly spread out.

Maybe this is normal for Americans, but for me it was a car hellscape. I don't own a car living in London, and there just isn't the same need.

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This is so normal for Americans that you'll see people in this thread vehemently defending this hellscape against any criticism, since they can't imagine an alternative. A resident of London who doesn't own a car is a prisoner in their own home, in the mind of the average American.

It is normal for urban and near urban America. Too many people without enough sense, crowded in too small a space. On darker days, I think we need a more effective plague to shrink the population.

My "need" for a car is driven by things that make life worth living, none of which are found in a city. OTOH, I can appreciate that city life works for some people and I would never try to impose a rural or suburban life on them.

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