[Zambyte]

Most cities have alternatives to driving simply because they geometrically have to. When I say there should be viable alternatives to driving everywhere, I mean small, rural towns as well.

I live in a well-connected, medium sized city in the North East, without a car. My parents live in a very rural town about 300 miles away. I can walk from my apartment to a local train, and then from there get to an Amtrak that will take me to 30 miles from my parents house. While I could technically bike that, that is quite the hike to make after 300 Amtrak miles. Especially fearing for my life sharing the road with distracted drivers.

There is no reason for there to not be regular bus service from the city that I get off Amtrak in to the larger town between my parents and the station, and between my parents smaller town and the larger one. In a modern, developed nation I would be able to make that trip entirely by transit and walking.

And by "modern" I mean as of the 1860s, because back then it was connected by train!