Uploaded on 2015-11-28 by EdithJ

All of the possible means of city transportation are available to the people who live in the city center i.e you can get from place to place by tram, train, subway, bus, bicycle, car, motorcycle, or on foot. The main reason all of these work so well is that the city center is very flat, many of the streets were built in the communist era of the country so streets are wide and come together through roundabouts that still function well, and because the economy is still very slow many people cannot afford vehicles of their own so gladly use the available public transportation. Such availability of services has yet to continue in the newly expanded parts of the city. Due to its modernization, Bucharest over the last 20 years has had to cope with its business center moving away from the actual city center and into its adjoining suburb. This has meant using a very large part of land that used to be marshland between the old city center and the only international airport and transforming it into areas where huge malls, huge business centers and car dealerships as well as the 4 international schools could be built. This area for the time being is considered part of the city (sector 1) and is called Pipera/Baneasa, but has the making of being its own city- it’s only shy by a city hall! This area has expanded tremendously and become the part of the city where real estate is at its most expensive fetching 250 USD/square meter not to mention the part of the city where most expatriates choose to live. Hence, this is where I live. Travel choices Because I run my own business from home, the two main places to which I need to travel regularly (outside of daily walks to the pharmacy or corner store or fresh market which are all 600m away from my house) are: 1- School my children attend 2- The supermarket – large multi-purpose store for food, clothing, home supplies ![enter image description here][1] Here is what the routes look like:![enter image description here][2] Routes 1-2 are the ones I can use to get to school with my sons. Route 1 with the bus is rarely used mainly because of safety issues. The two bus stops are along a very fast road where people are heading to a highway , usually in a rush, and normally not expecting to seeing people cross the road. There are crosswalks in Romania, but the number of accidents per year on these crossroads is quite high due to the fact the people do not respect them. Because of weather issues in Romania (snow in January and February) we do have to resort to that means of transportation, but my children have understood how to function in as safe a manner as possible.For Route 2, the one which involves them biking to school, is our prefered choice. The advantages are numerous. First, the boys traveling by bike means them having flexibility as to their return- home time. With teenagers, such flexibility andindependence is an essential part of their education. Second, there exists a privately owned extremely well maintained wooded area that lies between the main road and the school that is not open to traffic. ![enter image description here][3] This means once my boys get to that area, they can bike safely. Third, the boys get exercise before and after school which means that they can both clear their heads and get the blood running through their veins: two essential elements when it comes to doing well and enjoying school. Finally, this is an environmentally and socially responsible means of transportation. The boys study the environment and climate change in school and know that it’s important for everyone to do their part in reducing their consumption of energy. With bikes they feel they are doing their part. The school vice-principal has even used them as examples to follow, as they are 2 of only 7 children in 1060 that bike to school! For Route 3 and 4, the choice is determined more by what I need to get done. I have labeled this location as a food store, but it really the largest mall in the city and the one where we need to go for clothing, tools, pharmaceutical products, shoes, sports goods and movies. I normally choose to walk Route 3 if I am going to buy smaller things that I can carry in a backpack or else if I am meeting someone for work in one of the coffee shops. Walking there is very safe as the city had built roads about 5 years ago (paved), but the land was purchased by the American Embassy in order to stop all further construction. This means birds abound along the way and cars are nowhere to be seen! ![enter image description here][4]Most often , however, I choose to bike there for light shopping or for running errands to the dry cleaners because I can save time. I also travel that path when I just want to get out for a little bit of air or exercise but don’t have tons of time. I can get there and back in less than 30 minutes and I don’t have to face the traffic or the very unsafe drivers that travel the roads in our neighborhood. Finally, Route 4 is the only available way to get there by car. I use the car when I need to do the heavy shopping, if I need to travel there at night (as the path in Route 3 is not lit), if the weather is bad, or if I need to have several children with me. I cannot say I enjoy driving there as I feel it is so close by (as a Canadian who walks everywhere she can), but at least the parking is easy to find, the road there is safe, the objective of getting many things done in one place can be met i.e. one trip may mean boys going to the movies, husband buying clothing, me getting some food and picking up birthday cards for someone back home, and in bad weather we can get there comfortably. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1448720524843985.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14487205737202899.jpg [3]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14487207086241985.jpg [4]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14487206723294779.jpg