I’m From European and it’s not uncommon here either sadly, especially in the country side (old roads used around agricultural fields and farms for example).
Plenty of villages where I live that are absolutely unsafe for anyone to walk around. There is no requirement for a road outside urban limits to have a sidewalk, even if it is a major 90 km/h (55ish mph?) road that happens to be the only way to get from village A to the school in village B.
Cycling through the countryside, I have straight up trespassed through someone’s property because there was no legal way to get from point A to point B, walking or biking, and not die.
Obviously not comparable to the US where even city centers are majorly unsafe, but still. Most rural areas are fully car-dependent.
In my experience, Europeans certainly have streets without sidewalks and areas with poor transportation infrastructure. So I understand why some can relate.
However, it’s truly on another level in many North American cities. Like in the heart of many densely populated cities, it can be nearly impossible to go to the grocery store without a car. Entire suburbs housing hundreds of thousands without a single sidewalk. High speed limit stroads, filled with full size SUVs and pickup trucks which carry twice the inertia and ability to kill and maime as a smaller car.
I’m From European and it’s not uncommon here either sadly, especially in the country side (old roads used around agricultural fields and farms for example).
But there is hardly any traffic on these roads so walking there is safe
Edit: seems like I’m simply blessed in Austria and it’s different elsewhere
Plenty of villages where I live that are absolutely unsafe for anyone to walk around. There is no requirement for a road outside urban limits to have a sidewalk, even if it is a major 90 km/h (55ish mph?) road that happens to be the only way to get from village A to the school in village B.
Cycling through the countryside, I have straight up trespassed through someone’s property because there was no legal way to get from point A to point B, walking or biking, and not die.
Obviously not comparable to the US where even city centers are majorly unsafe, but still. Most rural areas are fully car-dependent.
Oh there are lots of cars and people drive like maniacs on them. And we also have quite a few roads in cities outskirts without sidewalks.
In my experience, Europeans certainly have streets without sidewalks and areas with poor transportation infrastructure. So I understand why some can relate.
However, it’s truly on another level in many North American cities. Like in the heart of many densely populated cities, it can be nearly impossible to go to the grocery store without a car. Entire suburbs housing hundreds of thousands without a single sidewalk. High speed limit stroads, filled with full size SUVs and pickup trucks which carry twice the inertia and ability to kill and maime as a smaller car.