Turinys

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2
America vs Europe – Public transportation ................................................................................ 3
Summary..................................................................................................................................... 4
Words ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Public transport systems … the US vs Europe ........................................................................... 6
Summary..................................................................................................................................... 8
Words ......................................................................................................................................... 9
9 Reasons the U.S. Ended Up So Much More Car-Dependent Than Europe Error! Bookmark
not defined.
Summary................................................................................................................................... 13
Words ....................................................................................................................................... 14
Sources ..................................................................................................................................... 15
 Introduction
The topic of my speech is public transport and car usage in United States and Europe.
Public transport is very important these days because of enviromental issues. Cars pollutes air
so it is important that more and more people begin to use public transport for travelling. Public
transport especially is important in cities because it reduces traffic jams. Public transport usage
greatly depands on car-dependence and they are very connected. In my chosen articles public
transport usage is compared between these 2 continents.

Travelling habits are different in USA and Europe. Both Europe and USA are very
developed continents and have good transport infrastructure. However, despite that the fact that
USA is very developed country and even richer than Europe public transport is not so popular
in States like in Europe. These articles point out the reasons why Europe countries uses public
transport much more than Americans. So how Europeans‘s habits of travelling differs from
Americans‘s ways of travelling and why?

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 America vs Europe – Public transportation

My sister-in-law was visiting from out-of-town this weekend for a wedding. We were sitting at
lunch today and she asked me what the transportation system was like in Europe. Europeans
don’t realize how great they have it. Here in America we are so dependent on our cars for
everything. I feel it would be very difficult for many to make the switch to public transportation
no matter how many adjustments were made to the system. I would like to believe that with the
increase in consciousness about the environmental impact that people would welcome the
change. I didn’t realize how special and different the system really was until I returned home
to the States. I would really like to avoid owning car, but the realization of the difficulties it
imposes here in my hometown are disconcerting. I am hoping to be able to survive my few
months here in the states with only my bike.

In Europe this wouldn’t be an issue. It is a common for many to travel around by bike. They
also have an excellent train system. No, the trains aren’t always on time, and aren’t without
their hiccups, but they are clean, efficient, affordable, and regular. In Europe, I walked, rode a
bike, and rode in a bus or train more than I ever rode in a car. Even in rain and in crazy wind.

They have been able to develop a system that allows them to survive without a car. I know that
there are cities in the U.S are closer to the European way of life. I would have to say that one
of the main differences would be the amount of cities serviced by the train system. Many of
even the smallest towns had a train station. You could easily walk down the street to the station
and hop on a train and be in the next city within a few minutes for only a couple of euros. I saw
many people commuting to work and school everyday. I know that with the price of gas in
Germany this certainly had to help keep monthly expenses down.

Having a car does have its conveniences, especially when you have children, in bad weather,
and when running late. The point is, however, if you don’t or can’t have a car in Europe there
is a working system in place that makes it completely doable. They have developed a system
of daily life that allows them to keep things a bit more simple and focus on what’s more
important.

I really wish we could transport some of the culture, philosophies, and conveniences into our
daily life here. In a later article I will share how to save the most money while traveling through
Germany with their transportation system.

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 Summary
Europe and USA transportation system is very different. Europe has a great transportation
system. America is very dependent from cars. To make the switch to public transportation
would be very difficult in USA but with the increase in consciousness about the environmental
impact that people would welcome the change. In Europe there is no issue to survive without
the car because it is common to travel by bike or by train. They have an excellent train system.
The main difference between USA and Europe is the amount of cities serviced by the train
system. In Europe many of even the smallest towns had a train station. Car provides many
conviniences but if you don’t or can’t have a car in Europe there is a working system in place
that makes it completely doable

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 Words

1. Adjustment - a small alteration or movement made to achieve a desired fit, appearance,

or result.
2. Consciousness - the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings.
3. Impose - force (something unwelcome or unfamiliar) to be accepted or put in place.
4. Disconcert – causing one to feel unsettled
5. Affordable – inexpensive; reasonably priced
6. To commute - travel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular
basis
7. Doable – within the powers; feasible
8. Focus – pay particular attention to something
9. Daily - done, produced, or occurring every day or every weekday
10. Avoid - keep away from or stop oneself from doing (something).

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 Public transport systems … the US vs Europe

While investments in rail transport system continue to vanish in the States, Europe keeps going
forward by investing a lot in maintaining its public transport systems and also expanding new
rail sectors in all the areas where this mode of transport is undeveloped. Switzerland, France
and Spain for example already have been using high-speed rail transport for years now. In most
European cities, people choose to travel by train a lot more often compared to the US because
there are various routes available and by doing so they save a lot of money and don’t have to
drive.

Reducing traffic jams and air pollution as much as possible, and creating new jobs opportunities
are some of the main reasons why Europe has been investing in its public transportation
systems. Buses for example are the least used means of public transportation in Europe and
that is why the European Union funded the European bus System of the Future (EBSF) project
in 2014. The purpose of the EBSF project was to increase the bus system attractiveness so that
more and more people use buses to travel throughout Europe. Here is what the EU Framework
Programme for Research and Innovation says:

“The EBSF team has created an intelligent system, which makes efficient use of information
and provides different bus system solutions adapted to the specific needs of all stakeholders.
The researchers have also constructed innovative vehicles and infrastructure that offer
improved and enhanced comfort to drivers and passengers, accessibility to all users and smart
use of energy.”

The 2014 Transit Scores by Walk Score analyzed data from 316 US cities and neighborhoods
and by taking into consideration types of routes, frequency, distances between various stops
etc. decided that New York, San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago,
Seattle, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Portland are the top ten US cities with good public
transportation systems.

But when compared to most European cities, even the top ten US cities that have good public
transport systems are far behind Europe. According to an article by the Ecoonomist, “America’s
fastest and most reliable line, the north-eastern corridor’s Acela, averages a sluggish 70 miles
per hour between Washington and Boston. The French TGV from Paris to Lyon, by contrast,
runs at an average speed of 140 mph. America’s trains aren’t just slow; they are late. Where
European passenger service is punctual around 90% of the time, American short-haul service
achieves just a 77% punctuality rating. Long-distance trains are even less reliable.”

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The United States’ infrastructure is also getting worse while the money spend for maintaining
and investing in the public transportation systems has been declining during the last decades.
“Total public spending on transport and water infrastructure has fallen steadily since the 1960s
and now stands at 2.4% of GDP. Europe, by contrast, invests 5% of GDP in its infrastructure,
while China is racing into the future at 9%. America’s spending as a share of GDP has not come
close to European levels for over 50 years. Over that time funds for both capital investments
and operations and maintenance have steadily dropped,” according to The Economist.

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 Summary
Europe invests more and more in maintaining public transport and expanding rail sectors
while investments in USA countinue to vanish. Europe invests in public transportation systems
because they want to create new job oportunities, reduce traffic jams and air pollution. European
Union funded the European bus System of the Future (EBSF) project in 2014. The purpose of
the EBSF project was to increase the bus system attractiveness so that more and more people
use buses to travel throughout Europe.

Even USA‘s top 10 cities with best transport system are still far behind Europe cities.
Rail transport system is much better developed in Europe than in USA. In USA trains are slow
and late. Some Europe trains average speed is 140 mph while America‘s fastest rail line trains
averages only 70 mph.

Investments in public transportation systems in USA continue to decline. USA invests

only 2,4 % GPD while Europe invests 5 %.

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 Words

1. To vanish - disappear suddenly and completely

2. To reduce - make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size
3. Purpose - make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size
4. To enhance - ntensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of
something
5. Stakeholder - a person with an interest or concern in something, especially a business
6. Frequency - the rate at which something occurs or is repeated over a particular period
of time or in a given sample
7. Sluggish - slow-moving or inactive
8. Punctual - happening or doing something at the agreed or proper time; on time
9. Short – haul - a relatively short distance in terms of travel or the transport of goods
10. Reliable - consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted

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 Why Is Transit In Europe and Asia So Much Better Than
Transit In the United States?

Between the 1920s and 1960s, policies adapting cities to car travel in the United States
served as a role model for much of Western Europe. But by the late 1960s, many
European cities started refocusing their policies to curb car use by promoting walking,
cycling, and public transportation. For the last two decades, in the face of car-
dependence, suburban sprawl, and an increasingly unsustainable transportation
system, U.S. planners have been looking to Western Europe.

The numbers show the need for change. In 2010, Americans drove for 85 percen t of
their daily trips, compared to car trip shares of 50 to 65 percent in Europe. Longer trip
distances only partially explain the difference. Roughly 30 percent of daily trips are
shorter than a mile on either side of the Atlantic. But of those under one-mile trips,
Americans drove almost 70 percent of the time, while Europeans made 70 percent of
their short trips by bicycle, foot, or public transportation.

The statistics don't reveal the sources of this disparity, but there are nine main reasons
American metro areas have ended up so much more car-dependent than cities in
Western Europe.

Mass motorization. Mass motorization occurred earlier in the United States than in Europe,
mainly facilitated by assembly line production that brought down cost. By the mid-1930s there
was already one registered automobile for every two U.S. households, while car ownership in
Europe was mostly limited to wealthy elites. Moreover, greater personal wealth in the U.S.
allowed households to more readily afford cars than comparatively poorer European
households, particularly in the years immediately after World War II.

Road standards. As a result of early mass motorization, American cities were first to adapt to
the car at a large scale. U.S. planners and engineers developed initial standards for roadways,
bridges, tunnels, intersections, traffic signals, freeways, and car parking. Successful innovations
quickly spread elsewhere, often in the form of standards. Europeans also experimented with
automobile infrastructure—Stockholm opened a large inner city clover-leaf interchange in the
1930s—but European cities adapted to cars much more slowly than U.S. metros did, especially
before World War II.
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Vehicle taxes. Taxation of car ownership and use has traditionally been higher in Europe and
helped curb car travel demand. Today a gallon of gasoline is more than twice as expensive in
Europe than in the United States. Moreover, in Europe gas tax revenue typically contributes to
the general fund, meaning roadway expenditures compete with other government expenditures.
In many U.S. states and at the federal level, large parts of the gas tax revenue are earmarked for
roadway construction, assuring a steady flow of non-competitive funds for roads.

Interstate system. In the 1950s, the U.S. federal government offered a 90 percent match to build
the Interstate Highway System that soon crisscrossed most U.S. urban areas. Combined with
urban renewal and slum clearance programs, interstates destroyed and cut-off entire urban
neighborhoods and facilitated suburban sprawl (itself subsidized through mortgage policies).
European national governments also provided subsidies for roadways, but typically at a lower
level or for shorter periods of time. Moreover, European highways, such as Germany’s high
speed Autobahn system, typically link cities rather than penetrate them.

Government subsidies. Over the last 40 years, gas taxes, tolls, and registration fees have
covered only about 60 or 70 percent of roadway expenditures across all levels of U.S.
government. The remainder has been paid using property, income, and other taxes not related
to transportation. These subsidies for driving reduce its cost and increase driving demand in the
United States. In European countries, meanwhile, drivers typically pay more in taxes and fees
than governments spend on roadways.

Technological focus. Policy responses to problems of U.S. car travel have focused on
technological changes rather than altering behavior. For example, responses to air pollution or
traffic safety consisted of technological fixes — such as catalytic converters, reformulated
cleaner fuels, seat belts, and air bags — that let people keep driving as usual. European countries
implemented these technological requirements as well, but also more aggressively reduced
speed limits in entire neighborhoods, created car free zones, reduced car parking, and
implemented other policies that encourage behavioral shifts.

Public transit. Sustained government support helped European transit systems to weather the
rise of the car more successfully. Particularly after World War II, privately owned U.S. transit
systems increased fares, cut services, lost ridership, and either went out of business or were
saved by public ownership — with help from U.S. governments often coming too late. For
instance, many cities saw their trolley systems disappear entirely in the 1950s and '60s, though
there has been a streetcar reemergence of late.

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Walking and cycling. Only a few U.S. cities, such as Davis, California, have a tradition of
implementing pedestrian and bicyclist amenities since the 1970s. By contrast, many European
cities, led by Muenster, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen, have implemented entire networks of
bike lanes, separated cycle tracks, off-street bicycle paths, and traffic calmed neighborhood
streets — allowing easy travel by bicycle between any origin and destination in a city or region.
European cities also have a longer history of providing networks of sidewalks, crosswalks, and
car free zones in city centers. Additionally, European traffic laws protect pedestrians and
cyclists, often putting the responsibility for a crash on the driver, while U.S. traffic laws, police,
and court juries often fail to prosecute or punish drivers who kill pedestrians or cyclists.

Zoning laws. There are many differences between land-use planning systems in the United
States and Europe. Europeans tend to allow a greater mix of uses in their residential zones, thus
keeping trip distances shorter. For example, in Germany, a residential zone can include doctors'
offices, cafes, corner stores, or apartment buildings. By contrast, single family residential zones
in the United States typically forbid those uses. Zoning in Germany also occurs for smaller land
areas—almost at the block level—facilitating shorter trips than in U.S. cities, where zones tend
to be much larger. And while most U.S. zoning codes still require a minimum number of
parking spots, many European countries operate with maximum numbers to limit parking.

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 Summary

Americans use car for trips much more than Europeans. Americans drove 85 % of their
trips while in Europe only 50-65% of trips are travelled by the car. Mass motorization is one of
the reasons why USA is much more car-dependent than Europe. Mass motorization occured
earlier in USA than in Europe and Americans‘s households were wealthier in 1930‘s and
especially after World War II so a lot of Americans could afford a car while many Europeans
couldn‘t in that age. Another reason is road standarts. USA planners developed initial standards
for roadways, bridges, tunnels, intersections, traffic signals, freeways, and car parking. So
American cities were first to adapt their infrastructure to cars. Also taxes of cars are bigger in
Europe than in USA. Interstate highway is system is also important element why Americans
tend to use car more than Europeans. Highway system is USA is one of the best in the world so
it is very comfortable in USA to travell by the car. Government subsidies for driving are huge
in USA while in Europe drivers typically pay more in taxes and fees than governments spend
on roadways.

To reduce air pollution USA government uses ony technological fixes — such as catalytic
converters, reformulated cleaner fuels while European countries encourage behavioral shifts by
aggressively reducing speed limits in entire neighborhoods, creating car free zones, reducing
car parking, and implementing other policies. Governments supports transit systems in Europe
while in USA many privately owned transit systems went out of bussiness because the help
from government came too late. Another reason why Europeans tend to drive less is because
they walk and cycle more than Americans. Many European cities have entire networks of bike
lanes, separated cycle tracks, off-street bicycle paths while only few USA cities have that. And
the last reason why Americans use car more than Europeans is because trips in USA are longer.
It is because residential zone in Europe can include doctors' offices, cafes, corner stores, or
apartment buildings while single family residential zones in the United States typically forbid
those uses.

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 Words

1. To curb – restrain or keep in check

2. Unsustainable – not able to maintained at the current rate or level
3. Disparity – a great difference
4. To facilitate – to make an action or process easier
5. To contribute – give (something, especially money) in order to help achieve or provide
something
6. Subsidy - a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an
industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or
competitive.
7. To assure - make (something) certain to happen.
8. Slum - a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people
9. To penetrate – succeed in forcing a way into or through (a thing).
10. Fee - a payment made to a professional person or to a professional or public body in
exchange for advice or services.

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 Sources

http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/02/9-reasons-us-ended-so-much-more-car-dependent-
europe/8226/

https://endlessdiscoveries.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/america-vs-europe-public-
transportation/

http://www.corsia.us/public-transport-systems-the-us-vs-europe

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