Okay I'm a keen cyclist and a bit of a green BUT with the efficeincy and cost of public transport plus the possibility to hire a car/use mobility.ch there seems little need ot buy a car here. I've a trailer for my bike which can carry beer & wine a plenty from France or Germany or Coop, the train/bus conncections are superb.

Justy wondering where the excuses are drivers (tongue firmly in cheek, of course )

Good Driving/Cycling/Walking to you all

because I can and because I want to?

Any time I want, I can go and swing my little car's cute ass round an Alp.

I see your point, but on the other hand Swiss roads are simply too good to not be driven on.

unfortunately (in my UK experience) it has been misused by mums driving 20 yards (exaggeration accepted) to the school/shops etc and by commuters driving 2 miles to work. For many a journey it is the most efficient and effective way to travel - if those who abuse its excellence could understand that the cars on the road would be there as the most efficient means of travel or for those who have no choice. I also allow the odd speed thrill as I loved my two Alfa Romeo Spiders in the summer.

Why can't we all just live togther in harmony?

I'm a diver and I'm always having to drag lots of heavy equipment to and from the water. I do actually know one guy who doesn't own a car and still dives. I think he's absolutely insane. If you are reading this - Hi Rob.

I love the trains here, I use them all the time, I have a 1\2 tax card and a ZVV Bonus card. Having a car in a bat cave 2 floors underground in Wiedikon somewhere just means that I can have that edge of spontaneity and not always be ruled by timetables.

That little bit more freedom. Pretty harmonious to me.

How much weight is that?

My trailer takes 35kg officially but haven't even tried to push it. In a way that's my point cars are excellent at taking the strain where a single man/woman (even with a bike) would struggle but the sunday morning drive to collect a pint of milk and a paper!!!

If you live in the boonies like me, then public transport is out of the question. I mean if you live downtown Zurich or Geneva, fine, but everywhere else, it's like living in North America, you HAVE to have a car.

Well said. But those that live in a "major" city will just ignore you if you try to present that point of view. It's just too inconvenient to this about...

Where do you live, on top of the Moleson? Even in the UK where public transports are supposed to be poor I can move around a lot without a car, nevermind in Switzerland...

Wait for 30-40 minutes in rain to catch a bus? We don't have bus shelters here. Outside peak hours I never even see busses outside the city. Want to go to a restaurant? Oops, need a car. Gym? Oops, need a car. Unless you want to spend 2 hours per day walking.

Canadian dude - told you so

I live about 10km from the city of Zurich, and one of the buses nearby stops at 5pm. When I first moved to Switzerland I was in Neerach, about 20-30kms from Zurich. The bus to the nearest train station ran every hour and it didn't run that late. A car was handy just to get to the station.

But I admit, it is a million times better than the UK (outside of urban centers)

I drive a Smart because it gives me freedom. Due to my medical condition, public transport is often not a good solution. But before I got sick I used public transport quite happily or I walked around Zurich.

In fact, I have to admit to enjoying train rides. I like to sit in a train, read a good book, watch the world go by my window and not worry about traffic jams, other cars, getting tired etc. I also consider the train for long distances. For example, a trip to Bern or Geneva from Zurich, its just more relaxing... again this could be because I find driving quite tiring itself.

When I was very little, my family lived out in the sticks here in Switzerland. This meant that my Dad often missed the last train home (which was at 7pm) from work in Zurich and my Mother had to drive to collect him with two babies. Not really possible on a bike eh??

If I want to go skiing in the winter / walking /windsurfing in summer. I load the car in the underground garage - warm in the winter, cool in summer - with the kit and in under an hour I'm putting my skis on / starting to surf /walk. Public transport just isn't so convenient...

There is such a thing as a timetable...Incidentally, spare yourself the gym membership and walk two hours a day

Mark, I'm not anti-car per se, my wife has one and we use it for leisure and domestic chores but as stated above, I find it pretty easy to move around in the UK without a car (I can't drive) and that's not only in the city but all across the countryside in Cheshire and the Peak District, the two areas I spend most time walking. With a minimum of organisation, you can move around pretty well. My entire upcoming holiday in Scotland will be made by train, bus and ferry and, from previous experience, it's pretty painless. You have less opportunities to improvise but it also force you to be more active, no driving around when in location, if we want to see things we walk or we bike, which will be a good thing to sweat out Scottish breakfasts...

If that can be done in the UK, I'm pretty sure it can be done in Switzerland too...

Ok, quick poll: Does anyone else agree that the public transport experience in the UK is "pretty painless"? Many of my memories from the UK involve horrendous public transport experiences.

Yes of course it "can be done" if you don't mind waiting long periods, walking long distances (assuming you are in good health) and organising your life in a way which may be considered by many to be inconvenient. But the truth is that many people would simply find that too irritating and prefer a car for many situations. I think I'd have to uphold such a complaint and perfectly legitimate...

The strange fact is despite Switzerland having an excellent public transport network (among the best in the world), it has the second highest ownership of cars per capita on the planet (second only to the US). Now why is that?

because going by train is too expensive? My wife and I frequently travel from Basel to the Lake of Constance area. Even with a "Halbtax" this costs us about 140 Fr (for both of us, both ways). Going by car is about half that much. If we go by train, we also have to be picked up by someone (in a car...) at the railway station because there is no public transportation available in the village where my parents life.

In the US, cars and gas are too cheap. In Switzerland, people have too much money.

A couple of people mentioned that a car gives them more freedom. I'd like to suggest that it is just the opposite in certain situations. When going for a hike, I love the fact that I can take public transport to one place, hike all day, and end up somewhere completely different and take another means of public transport home. Having a car would restrict this freedom and cause me to either do a circular route or one in which the starting location can be reached easily by public transport from the finishing location (not always so easy in the mountains).

This is just one more reason why a car is only useful for me a couple of times per year, and in those situations I'm quite happy to rent one.