3rd
Interesting that Car pooling is almost equal to all non “drive alone” combined. In effect this creates a distinct and interesting community structure. Unknown to those who have not experienced it.
For a country that is seen as so individualist, the defacto public transport system is not on a publicly owned utility but in the private space of friends/ neighbors/ colleagues. I know this can be traced back to the Great American streetcar scandal (also known as the General Motors streetcar conspiracy and the National City Lines conspiracy). If you don’t know about this check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_streetcar_scandal and the excelent documentary http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2486235784907931000#
To me, this has parallels in the interesting influences on community structures of Nordic countries where local communities use saunas at the public pool (NB. you must use them naked & no towels). ‘You know your neighbors differently when you’ve see them naked’…
Jargon Watch: “Transportation Energy Intensity” of Buildings : TreeHugger
