As a lifelong railfan and an almost lifelong residence in the US, I have to insert my own 2 cents worth. I'm an expat (expatriate) now retired in Italy and have visited my son in the Bay area and my sister in the LA area. After living overseas and returning to the US for the first time in 5 years, I have to laugh at the naysayers and excuse mongers I see in this thread, because they are the ones that need to "Get a life." My sister lives within walking distance of Albertson's (like 2 blocks), but a CAR is needed to cross a 6 lane "street" with both left and right turn lanes. It's got to be a half a football field wide, and to cross on foot is like playing roulette with cars. I needed a book, and that took a freeway (free??) cruise plus finding a parking place in a 10,000 car lot. If you think this is NORMAL, you've got your head in the clouds.

I live in Trieste, a backwater town of 200,000 just 5 miles from Slovenia. I have 7 bus routes in front of my building, plus 5 more just 2 blocks away. We get about 55 buses per hour in front of our place, and can go anywhere in the city plus out into the country. If we're in a hurry, we take a cab. I haven't driven a car since 2005, and probably never will. I live 60 miles from Venice and have roughly 45 trains per day to choose from. THIS is how MOST of the industrial world exists, not the asphalt jungle of the US, where a car is NEEDED to buy a quart of milk, and trains and buses are for the poor. So you guys who crank off about rockets polluting, think about the 40,000,000 cars in the US and the 10 lane payways you guys construct to ride on. Hey, those freeways aren't free -- you paid for every square inch, and 5 lanes of traffic moving at 3 MPH gasses the place up a LOT.

Granted, Italians own MORE cars per capita than Americans, but the car here is used for FUN -- for going into the country for dinner or for seeing places off the beaten path that is not served by public transportation. A car is not a necessity -- it is FUN. There is a BIG difference.