In Bogotá, Colombia, I am used to taking a car almost everywhere I go; we don't walk as much as they do here. Very few people bike, and it is mostly sports-related. Also, we don't have a metro yet, and the bus system is not the best either. Therefore, it is awesome how easy and safe it is for me to take the metro every day to university. Back in my home university in Virginia, I lived on campus, so we didn't really need too much transportation, and I only took the metro to D.C. twice a week. Paris is totally different; being in a big city requires you to move, and where I live is more of a residential neighborhood, so I must take any form of transportation to get to school, museums or places to hang out with my friends.
Since in Virginia I don't need the metro or bus that much, and in Bogotá, to be safe, it is better to go in a car, I was surprised in Paris when I saw kids of 13 or 14 years old traveling alone. It felt relieving to see that the transportation system is safe and adapts to the needs of children. Also, something I found really cute is how many parents take their kids to school on a bike. I see many parents with two or three kids on the back of a bike. Again, I saw this as a sign that the city is safe, that parents can take their kids to school and pick up all three on a bike, with no problem.
Definitely. Especially the walking aspect. Sometimes I get home past midnight, but the walk from the metro station to my house is not completely dark, not even on weekdays. People are walking, there is life and lights still on, which makes it comfortable and safe.
