Scandinavian Tourists 'Horrified' By Canada's Car Culture

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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The horror! :lol:

Scandinavian Tourists 'Horrified' By Canada's Car Culture

Two Scandinavian tourists are honking their horns at Canadian car culture after a recent trip left them “horrified” by the sight of sprawling freeways and “unfulfilled communities.”

They were so unimpressed by the country’s apparent display of excessive car-serving infrastructure, they penned an open letter to Canadians and politicians urging “radical steps” to “make Canada a healthy, happy and sustainable country.”

English-born Holly Chabowski and her Danish girlfriend were “horrified to see great oceans of car parks deserting the landscape and 12 lane high ways, rammed packed with huge SUVs, with people going nowhere” during their five-week vacation – visiting cities including Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, and Halifax.

The duo live in Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, but were lured to Canada in the first place because of Canuck co-workers and their love of “hiking in national parks", Chabowski told HuffPost Canada. Though she says they had an “incredible adventure,” the most salient memory they have is of parking instead of parks.

They also backed up their observations with a few testimonies from locals they met on their travels.

“Trying to solve traffic problems by building more roads is like trying to solve obesity by buying bigger trousers,” one unnamed Ottawan told Chabowski. It’s a cheeky analogy supported by government data, too.

According to Transport Canada, the National Highway System now boasts 38,000 kilometres of roadways – a 56 per cent boost between 1988 and 2011.

In contrast, there are approximately 10,000 kilometres of national bike routes in Denmark, according to the Danish government.

So what solutions do they present to inspire Canadians who live in a country nearly 232 times the size of Denmark to give up their car-driving ways? Trains are a feasible place to start for both citizens and tourists, says Chabowski.

“You can relax, socialize, read a newspaper, enjoy a glass of wine or sleep. It becomes part of your holiday or trip,” she explained in an email.

To deal with Scandinavian winters, Chabowski says a salted route, extra layers and winter tires go a long way. Electric bikes are also a popular choice for occasional trips to IKEA and among the elderly, she says.

"They can keep fit, socialize with friends and remain independent into old age."


Read the full letter below:

An open letter to the people who hold power and responsibility in Canada,
My girlfriend and I (Danish) were tourists in your country for 5 weeks this summer. We had the most incredible adventure and met the most wonderful Canadians, who welcomed us warmly into their homes.

Apart from these people, who sincerely do your nation credit, our overwhelming memory of Canada is one of cars, traffic, parking and the related obesity and unfulfilled communities. It is an impression that we have since shared with other tourists who have visited Canada.

Before arriving in Canada we had a genuine impression of a clean, healthy and sustainable first world country. Upon arrival in Toronto we were horrified to see great oceans of car parks deserting the landscape and 12 lane high ways, rammed packed with huge SUVs, with people going no where. A greater shock came when we discovered that this kind of infrastructure is not reserved just for the sprawl surrounding towns and cities but that highways actually run through city centres too. As humans trying to enjoy Canada's major cities (Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Halifax) we were treated like second class citizens compared to cars. The air was dirty, and the constant noise from horns and engines was unpleasant.

An observation that was especially noticeable in Halifax was the sheer amount of land in the city centre given to parking. Ginormous swaths of prime locations for living (parks, shops, cafés, market squares, theatres, playing fields etc - human activities which are key to quality of life) concreted over as homes for an ever increasing number of SUVs (most trucks and SUVs we saw contained only one person. The most SUVs we saw in a row were full of singular people driving through Tim Hortens). We asked the Canadians that we met how they felt living in such a car culture, here are a few of their responses:

'Trying to solve traffic problems by building more roads is like trying to solve obesity by buying bigger trousers.' Ottawa

'It's only 10km to my work place. I would love to cycle, it would only take 30 minutes but it is simply not possible. I don't feel safe. Instead I park and sweat, meaning after 25 minutes stuck in traffic I drive my car to the gym and waste another 25 minutes of time I could spend with my family.' Quebec City

'I hate cars in the city so much that I actually find myself slowing down as I cross the road, in a tiny effort to exert my authority as a human being over all that metal.' Toronto

'It seems to me that birds fly, fish swim and humans walk. Except in North America where you are expected to drive-everywhere. You wouldn't put a fish in a submarine!' Montreal

'I am obese. My children are overweight and most of the people who live around here. I am surrounded by fast food chains, car parks and highways. I would love to ditch the car. My neighbourhood doesn't even have sidewalks.' Levis

As we explored more of the country we tried to console ourselves that at least a few cities were making an effort to make life liveable for humans - small local businesses, cycle infrastructure and pedestrianised streets. However, it felt like a token gesture rather than a genuine effort to make Canada a healthy, happy and sustainable country. Pedestrians were squeezed onto narrow pavements and forced to stop every 100m to cross the road, bike lanes were little more than paint on the ground for the cyclists to help protect the parked cars lining every street. We heard that the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, is actually tearing up bicycle lanes to make way for more cars!

Walking and cycling are human activities that bring great life, health and economy to communities. Streets that prioritise cars over humans are bad for business, bad for health (mental, social and physical), unsafe and break down communities.

I write this letter to appeal to you to take radical steps to transform Canada into the healthy, happy and sustainable country we were expecting. You are a nation of the most fantastic people, we know because we met them everywhere! As citizens they deserve much, much better.

Come on Canada! When tourists visit Canada make sure they remember it for for its parks rather than parking.

Sincerely yours,

Holly Chabowski

Denmark

Scandinavian Tourists 'Horrified' By Canada's Car Culture
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
3
36
London, Ontario
If they wanted to see national parks they should have booked that excursion instead of a five city tour.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,748
11,088
113
Low Earth Orbit
In Scandinavia everyone rides a community herring to work and to shop.

"But daaaaaad" you said I could take the herring to IKEA.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
22,737
7,718
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
I can see these women jumping on a train from Toronto to Jasper.
First wait two days for it to leave, and then four more sitting in a chair
on the train...feeding yourself on your own dime...for the next four
days....then hiking for a few days around Jasper waiting for the next
train back to Toronto that'll take another four days...assuming it isn't
continually bumped for trains carrying commodities.

Factor that into their five week vacation.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,748
11,088
113
Low Earth Orbit
I can see these women jumping on a train from Toronto to Jasper.
First wait two days for it to leave, and then four more sitting in a chair
on the train...feeding yourself on your own dime...for the next four
days....then hiking for a few days around Jasper waiting for the next
train back to Toronto that'll take another four days...assuming it isn't
continually bumped for trains carrying commodities.

Factor that into their five week vacation.

Too cheap to take the non-public funded rocky mountaineer?
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
22,737
7,718
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Last time I took a train anyplace (Regina,Sk to Salmon Arm,BC) 30yrs
ago, it was 5hrs late arriving into Regina, and we lost another 13hrs
sitting on side rails waiting for freight trains to go past before getting to
Salmon Arm 18hrs behind schedule.
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
28,429
146
63
A Mouse Once Bit My Sister
According to Transport Canada, the National Highway System now boasts 38,000 kilometres of roadways – a 56 per cent boost between 1988 and 2011.

In contrast, there are approximately 10,000 kilometres of national bike routes in Denmark, according to the Danish government.

http://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/5649374


Total area/land mass of Canada: 9,976,140 sq km

Total area/land mass Denmark:
43,094 sq km

I'm kind of unsure of exactly what Ingmar and Freda expected in going to a nation with 20 times the land mass and 6 times the population
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,748
11,088
113
Low Earth Orbit
Last time I took a train anyplace (Regina,Sk to Salmon Arm,BC) 30yrs
ago, it was 5hrs late arriving into Regina, and we lost another 13hrs
sitting on side rails waiting for freight trains to go past before getting to
Salmon Arm 18hrs behind schedule.

We've com along way. It's not that bad these days.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,748
11,088
113
Low Earth Orbit
Potash has it's own dedicated locos and schedule. Oil goes north to go south and grain still sits since the wheat board was killed. Soo Line is still broken.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,609
99
48
Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
Has anybody ever heard a traffic report on the radio in the Halifax Regional Municipality?

Every so often I switch on q104 over the net and it hasn't changed much.

"And here's the traffic report: Everything is going pretty smooth. A deer is darting back and forth along Magazine Hill and a few people are rubber necking, slowing things down a bit, but otherwise good. If you notice any traffic issues, give us a call."

Try listening to the traffic reports in Melbourne. There's no point doing traffic reports here because it's always the same places backed up at the same time every single day.
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
28,429
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A Mouse Once Bit My Sister
We should care whst a coupleof rich foreigners think of our culture? Wonder what they would think of a monster truck race?

Take them shopping at the main Ikea warehouse outlet... All the ones that I've seen are sprawling behemoth's.

Let them go and bitch at their Swedish neighbours about how they are destroying Mother Gaia