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Notes -
But it is something that is more likely to happen in a city than a suburb, which is where the comparison is. In a suburb I don't have to calculate the lenght of time it takes to go down an elevator or up a stairwell.
I would prefer to walk/bike. Cars are bulky, they separate you from the outside world, you have to find a parking space and worry that one mistake will create a huge expense and inconvenience to you and another person. I would much prefer to live in a neighborhood where I could bike 20 minutes to a grocery instead of drive 20 minutes to a grocery. This is my point. Walking is good, the fresh air and exercise is good, cars are inconvenient. It is possible to design suburban environments where driving is a weekly thing instead of a daily thing and I wanted to shill for that.
It is also good to have a car to fall back on if the weather is bad, but that part is very location-dependent. I've walked through 2 feet of snow but all the sidewalks were cleared regularly. The place I live now I hesitate to drive in the rain because it's that strong and blinding and the roads can pool up fast. In which case it doesn't matter if I'm walking or driving, I'm waiting for the weather to clear either way.
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