the nocturnalist: ride don't drive.

Nightime Tram ride - Prague

Public transport is a way of life around here. I'm not sure if it's because Czechs are too lazy to drive or walk, or if they are always too drunk to drive. It's possible that they are really eco-friendly and want what's best for the world to prevent global warming, but I'm not banking on it. Little kids ride the tram to and from school. School busses are a foreign concept (literally) to the Czech kiddos. It's crazy to think of me riding the public bus as a seven year old, but they do it here without a second thought.

The crime rate is so low here, that it's highly unlikely your child would be abducted...so I guess it's understandable. The roadways are also fierce, so it's probably much safer to tram or bus than to try to tame the wild cars racing around. Jarka, our CET program coordinator, told me today she's too scared to drive, and coming from a native Czech that's saying a lot. It saves so much money to not have a car, insurance, or have to pay for parking.

Prague has one of the most sophisticated transit systems in Europe, and transports more than two-thirds of Prague's population. More than half a million people ride the metro daily, making it the seventh busiest metro in Europe. The transit system delicately intertwines busses, trams and metros for easy, quick travel all around the city. For only a couple hundred CZK you can get a monthly pass and pretty much move all about Prague, even to the outskirts.

It's quite brilliant, and I wish Austin could also have such amazing transportation. The DUI rate would probably almost vanish!