Public Transportation and Smart Growth

I live within a reasonable bike distance from town, but there isn't a safe path that I could walk or ride.

When I was in Germany in the early 80's I went on a few volksmarches - basically you just go follow a walking path. I used to ride the strassenbahn to a stop that was close to the laundromat and then use a little cart to haul my laundry to and from the laundromat.

There's no excuse for our lack of interest in pedestrian traffic in this country. It is unwittingly (perhaps intentionally) supporting the automobile industry while making a population of people who are already not active enough - even less active by design.