Transportation

During my first week in France I have noticed a large difference between the use of transportation in Nice and back in my hometown. The French use their public transportation much more than the people in Orem. Also, Europeans are much more inclined to walk through their city than are people back home.

In Orem I see large empty buses driving through the city. People don't use the public transportation because they all have private cars and the bus routes don't cover much of the the city nor do they come frequent enough to make their use practical. A typical drive from home to work would mean entering a car inside an attached garage, using the automatic garage door opener, driving to work, and then walking the short distance from the parking lot to the workplace. This results in a very hidden populace because there are very few pedestrians. If you were to see your neighbor walking along the main street in Orem, you would probably be “concerned” that something is wrong and they need help.

Quite the opposite appears to be true in France. I see many very populated buses driving through the city. The buses come often and the people depend on them for their basic transportation. Also, since a fewer percentage of people own private cars, they are much more visible in their community. There are many people walking on the streets. This makes for a more “community” feel rather than the empty streets of Utah.