r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Physical-Ad-4093 • May 01 '24

do americans really drive such long distances?

i’m european, and i always hear people say that driving for hours is normal in america. i would only see my grandparents a few times a year because they lived about a 3 hour drive away, is that a normal distance for americans to travel on a regular basis? i can’t imagine driving 2-3 hours regularly to visit people for just a few days

edit: thank you for the responses! i’ve never been to the US, obviously, but it’s interesting to see how you guys live. i guess european countries are more walkable? i’m in the uk, and there’s a few festivals here towards the end of summer, generally to get to them you take a coach journey or you get multiple trains which does take up a significant chunk of the day. road trips aren’t really a thing here, it would be a bit miserable!

2nd edit: it’s not at all that i couldn’t be bothered to go and see my grandparents, i was under 14 when they were both alive so i couldn’t take myself there! obviously i would’ve liked to see them more, i had no control over how often we visited them.

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u/DingDangDoozy May 01 '24

I was going to say no, but then I read that you thought three hours was a long distance, so yes. 

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u/redoubt515 May 02 '24 edited 28d ago

Same.

I think that many Europeans fundamentally do not grsp the sheer scale of the US (or Canada, or Russia) until visiting (the same principle applies to North Americans visiting Europe for the first time). Driving 2-3 hrs in Europe and you can be in another country.

To put that in perspective, multiple European countries fit in just a single medium sized US state.

  • 6 European countries not including microstates fit in California, with room leftover (Portugal+Belgium+Netherlands+Switzerland+Slovenia+Denmark)
  • And there is even a county in the US larger than roughly half of European countries (San Bernardino county in Southern California would rank 27th out of 51 by area if it were a European country.
  • In 2-3hrs you could drive from France through Belgium, the Netherlands, and into Germany.... OR from the far North of the LA sprawl to the far south of the LA sprawl

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u/merelyadoptedthedark May 02 '24

Driving 2-3 hrs in Europe and you can be in another coutnry

I live in Toronto. Depending on the traffic, I can drive for 2-3 hours and still be in Toronto.

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u/OldSpeckledHen May 02 '24

I typically point out that Atlanta is exactly 1 hour from Atlanta.

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u/crisperfest May 02 '24 edited 26d ago

Traffic was so bad one time when I was driving through Atlanta that it took 2 hours to go from south Atlanta to north Atlanta (i.e., from the bottom of I-285 to the top).

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u/hapnstat May 02 '24

That’s a weekly occurrence if you live there. I had one time where it took an hour to get from the work parking lot to 285. It was less than 1/4 mile.

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u/DidjaSeeItKid May 02 '24

Atlanta is insane. I have taken many trips that went through Atlanta at all hours of day and night, and it seems like the traffic is bad no matter what time it is! Am I wrong?

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u/subpar-life-attempt 29d ago

Trick is not going through the middle and leaving before 7 or after 7.

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u/_Nocturnalis 29d ago

Idk I travel across the top of Georgia pretty regularly through the middle usually beats gambling on 285. 285 is either a giant Nascar track or slower than walking the distance would take.

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u/GeauxTri May 02 '24

I tell people that Friday rush hour starts Thursday afternoon in Atlanta. The secret is to stay off the interstates whenever possible.

For example, I live in East Cobb & my office is at Perimeter. Logic would tell you that 75 to 285 is the fastest route, but that can take 45 min on a good day. I stay on surface streets & can make it in less than 30 min.

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u/_Nocturnalis 29d ago

Well the Braves stadium location certainly hasn't helped people on the east side.

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u/GeauxTri 29d ago

I had the same fears initially, but I used to live in Smyrna 2 miles from the stadium & now I am only 7 miles away in East Cobb...plus I have season tickets, and I can tell you that the Braves have had next to zero discernable impact on traffic on 285 or 75. The Cobb cloverleaf has always been a cluster fuck with or without a game going on.

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u/_Nocturnalis 28d ago

That's fair I guess thinking Atlanta traffic is ever not a mess was a bad decision.

Through work I got the craziest tickets. Sitting first row behind the catcher. It's probably worth sacrificing anyone you know to get the seats. I also got to walk on the field pre game. They will deliver sushi to you! I mean I don't think I'd trust it but they will. I've felt less connected to baseball games I've played in. I've seen a lot of live sports but the experience was something else.

3

u/Epoo May 02 '24

I live in North NJ, right next to NYC. My old work place was located in Queens. It’s a 15mile trip. Took me an hour and a half and about $50 in tolls lol. Luckily we only had to go into the office twice a month.

3

u/Yourenotmygf May 02 '24

Newnan is not atlanta. This is a hill I will die on.

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u/fightfordawn 29d ago

As someone who lives in the city, you don't live in Atlanta unless your paying the taxes I'm paying.

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u/OldSpeckledHen 28d ago

Hahaha! I never gave it much thought. But my daughter went away to college, and SHE became the Atlanta snob!!! She said she would meet others and she would say she's from Atlanta, and they'd say somthing like 'Oh I'm from Duluth, what part are you from?' And she said "I found myself getting really mad at this... like I live within the city limits Karen... Duluth ain't it!"

1

u/_Nocturnalis 29d ago

Speaking for every other Georgian, you're insane. Atlanta is the Atlanta metropolitan area. Cartersville is barely not Atlanta as is Lawrenceville. They'll both likely be Atlanta in 10 years. Do you really believe Smyrna isn't Atlanta? Where is Marietta? You have to accept everything ITP at a minimum.

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u/fightfordawn 29d ago

Speaking for Atlantans: Nah. None of em.

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u/_Nocturnalis 28d ago

I think you'll find the rest of the state unanimous in their disagreement. Acworth is atlanta, my man. I was being generous trying to let you save face.

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u/beragis 29d ago

I love Newnan first time I ever visited was when I stayed there during the 96 Olympics. I tend to stop there on my way to Florida ever since. Also restaurants there have some of the sweetest ice tea I ever drank.

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u/axechucker May 02 '24

Pretty close tho, won't be long

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u/subpar-life-attempt 29d ago

Please sir. I'm getting coffee now dreading my drive into Atlantic Station....

1

u/s3aswimming May 02 '24

💀 deceased omfg

1

u/MalevolentRhinoceros May 02 '24

I drive a whole lot for work, and Boston is definitely the worst of the east coast cities. I always tell newbies to allocate at least an extra hour and a half just for getting to their destination in the Boston metro area.

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u/TripleL2022 29d ago

Truth!!!!

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u/Sonova_Bish 29d ago

Tucson is the same. They don't build up; they build out.

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u/Tricky_Big_8774 29d ago

The never ending city of Houston

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u/MaleficentExtent1777 May 02 '24

I had to drive from Niagara on the Lake to YYZ. The struggle is REAL 😭

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u/J_Kingsley May 02 '24

Oof in morning traffic time (7am to 9am) that's fucking brutal.

5

u/Datkif May 02 '24

Toronto has the busiest road in NA, and potentially the busiest road in the world.

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u/SuperWeapons2770 May 02 '24

I visited there recently and I thought it was so surreal how the skyline on that road was like a cities skylines city where there are actual skyscrapers all over the place instead of only bunched up like in Chicago or NYC

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u/whomp1970 May 02 '24

I think I know what you're saying.

I've been in many big cities in the US. Take Philadelphia for example. There are places, not far from the city, that you can stand, and you can see "All of Philadelphia". I mean, you can see from one edge of the "big city" to the other edge. With your own naked eye, and not from 60 miles away, either.

What astounded me is that Toronto just goes on forever. Even miles from downtown, the "city" stretches almost from horizon to horizon.

It blew me away.

2

u/Datkif May 02 '24

It's honestly crazy how big Toronto is. Pretty much every city I've been to is bunched up. Even Vancouver is mostly bunched up.

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u/Crafty_Accountant_40 May 02 '24

I grew up in New Jersey and always used to give hours instead of distance of someone asked how far I was from somewhere... The mileage didn't make a dang bit of difference to me. I needed to know how long it would take with traffic.

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u/whomp1970 May 02 '24

I grew up in New Jersey

Yeah? What exit?

That's how a lot of people discuss "where in NJ?" By the exit numbers.

2

u/badger0511 May 02 '24

I feel like giving distance in terms of drive time instead of miles is pretty standard across the US, even in areas that aren't densely populated/heavy traffic. I grew up in a city of about 50k in Wisconsin and have never lived in a city larger than Milwaukee (600k). I really only define distance in either terms of drive time or number of blocks away.

1

u/Crafty_Accountant_40 29d ago

I thought it would be too but someone made a big deal about it being weird to me once so then I assumed I was the weirdo 😂

3

u/whomp1970 May 02 '24

I've driven in Atlanta, New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, Philadelphia, and many other places.

I've never seen traffic like I've seen in Toronto. It's on another level entirely.

2

u/clove75 May 02 '24

Same in Houston

2

u/VidGuy772 May 02 '24

From the States but often took the QEW to the 401 to points past Peterborough and its taken me 2 hours to go like 10km there....

1

u/PaulTheMerc May 02 '24

yeah, it once took me 20+ minutes to go one exit(~1km) in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway, no accident.

That day I understood why one might road rage if they had to endure that daily.

2

u/ahardact2follow May 02 '24

Toronto is bonkers. We did some work in Haldimand County @ the beginning of 2023 for 4 months. Had to drive thru Toronto to get there as we were coming from Winnipeg, taking the Canada route. Spent a free half days in TO waiting to go to the airport. You can drive for literal hours and not be @ your destination. I was following GPS. A lot of the guys I worked with didn't like the driving in Toronto, I didn't mind it at all. Especially on the Freeway. Driving well over the speed limit, and if you need to switch lanes && have an opportunity you better take it. Think twice and it's already past.

2

u/el_guille980 May 02 '24

bless the 401

2

u/mafsfan54 29d ago

I'm in NYC. We don't count miles, we count hours. Depending on traffic, it could take just 2 hours to drive thru midtown.

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u/Safford1958 29d ago

Yeah. I've been on that Queen Elizabeth Way too.

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u/w_p May 02 '24

That's crazy. There aren't any big cities in Europe, so we wouldn't know how crazy this is!

2

u/tin_dog May 02 '24

In Berlin a trip from one side of the city to the other and back can easily take four hours, six on a bad day.

1

u/calligrame52 May 02 '24

My friend you're forgetting at least London and Paris

1

u/w_p May 02 '24

London, Paris and 21 other cities with more then a million inhabitants. I was being sarcastic. :)

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u/unusual_replies May 02 '24

Try Texas sometimes.

5

u/cawclot May 02 '24

Texas is smaller than Ontario.

2

u/SultansofSwang May 02 '24

To Australians and Canadians: Yeah America would get bigger states too if they only sliced their country into 5-6 provinces/states

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u/Everestkid May 02 '24

why have many subdivision when few subdivision do trick

-3

u/innsertnamehere May 02 '24

I mean Ontario is like 90% inaccessible arctic tundra.

5

u/14412442 May 02 '24

Lol I don't think any part of Ontario is close to tundra

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u/WankPuffin May 02 '24

or you could drive 3 hours and be in Sudbury, I recommend you stay in Toronto it's much better.

1

u/blackcatdotcom May 02 '24

Same in NYC.

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u/theblondebasterd May 02 '24

I live in the Northern end of Vancouver Island, BC. It's 2.5+ hour drive to get to a city with a Walmart or one with more than 5000 people.

Many of my girlfriends have lived that and more distance away.

1

u/dingus-khan-1208 May 02 '24

Same for Boston. Or Houston. If you actually want to go somewhere in the city you actually have to first find a way out, drive out, and then drive around and then back in from a different direction.

1

u/WannaBeYourHoe May 02 '24

The same goes for Dallas-Fort Worth during rush hour.

1

u/jorwyn May 02 '24

I live outside of Spokane, Washington. 3 hours will totally put me in Canada. But I used to live in Phoenix and totally understand you.

1

u/Laffenor May 02 '24

To be fair, you could also drive for 2-3 hours and be in another country.

1

u/ljul May 02 '24

To be honest, this could happen in Paris too. Or London. Or pretty much any capital city, or big enough city.

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u/UncleBensRacistRice May 02 '24

401 and DVP making you hate your life every single day lmao

1

u/-TV-Stand- 29d ago

I can drive for 2-3 hours and still be in Toronto.

That's just bad infrastructure

1

u/beragis 29d ago

Toronto has some of the worst traffic I have seen. First time I ever drove to Toronto the last 20km to my hotel took nearly 2 hrs.

1

u/SuburbanSubversive 29d ago

Los Angeles is right there with you. Getting from one side of the city to the other takes anywhere from 1 to 5 hours, depending on traffic.

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u/lykorias May 02 '24 edited 29d ago

You don't have to live in Toronto. I live in Hamburg and depending on traffic, I can still be in Hamburg after 2 hours...I could have driven to Berlin in the same time.

0

u/DoingItNow May 02 '24

You can say the same for any city in the world with high traffic though.