[erispoe]

The greater Zürich is 4M inhabitants, so it's more like 5 Zürich in the Greater LA. Switzerland in general is extremely transit friendly.

The difference is that life here is organized to revolve around transit. When you have to take public transit to places that are not designed around public transit, it's difficult. When all or most of your activities are better served by public transit than they are by car (try parking your car in Zürich), planning your day around transit is a breeze. Train stations in Switzerland are major retail centers. It's rare to not have a supermarket at walking distance.

Plus kids are much more autonomous. You don't have to drive them anywhere when they can safely take a tram by themselves at age 10.