In another article, "Yet the metropolitan population density of the United States is still about one-fourth that of Germany. New York, our densest city, has approximately one-third the number of inhabitants per square mile as Frankfurt." "One third of EU citizens live in cities of over a million people, rising to 80% living in urban areas generally." Compact cities in densly populated countries.
All of the EU is only 1.7 million sq mi, less than a quarter of the US. Europe is much smaller than you think. It's far from Madrid to Berlin, about 1100 miles, but about 30% shorter than you say. If you wish to start including the non-high-speed rail areas of Eastern Europe to the Urals and through to Turkey in your comparison, let me know.
While Europe has some very good highways, only a few people travel on them, and those people don't travel very far. I'll get back to you an the total miles by rail and road/ person /year in both areas later.
Exactly, France is huge. Its the same size and a LOWER density as NY+PA+NJ+MD+VA+OH. Iberia (Spain+Portugal) has a similar size and lower density.
In another article, "Yet the metropolitan population density of the United States is still about one-fourth that of Germany. New York, our densest city, has approximately one-third the number of inhabitants per square mile as Frankfurt." "One third of EU citizens live in cities of over a million people, rising to 80% living in urban areas generally." Compact cities in densly populated countries.
Bad comparison. Since WWII and the expulsion of the Prussians and Sudetens, Germany is small and dense. Germany is 2/3 the size of France and has 1/3 more people.
But since you bring up Frankfurt, Frankfurt has just 670,000 people on 96 square miles. New York has 8 million people on 305 sq. miles. Metro Frankfurt has 5.8 million people on 5700 sq. mile. Metro New York has 19 million people on 6700 sq. miles. I don't think the person you are quoting has a clue about math or stats.
All of the EU is only 1.7 million sq mi, less than a quarter of the US. Europe is much smaller than you think.
US, with Alaska, 3.8 million sq. miles. CONUS is 3.1 million sq. miles. The EU only, which is less than half of the European landmass, is certainly over 1/4 the size of the US. Ukraine, White Russia, Russia, Serbia, Croatia, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia, Switzerland, Norway are all part of Europe, but not EU.
If you want to define Europe as EU, why not remove the least dense portions of the US like the Alaska, Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Oregon? That's 1,300,000 sq. miles of nothing (8 million inhabitants)? Non EU portions of Europe are the least dense as well.
It's far from Madrid to Berlin, about 1100 miles, but about 30% shorter than you say.
My numbers were road distances off mapquest, not as the crow flies.
If you wish to start including the non-high-speed rail areas of Eastern Europe to the Urals and through to Turkey in your comparison, let me know.
Russia and Turkey both have high speed rail! They aren't "non high speed rail areas" And I'm not including Anatolia as Europe.
While Europe has some very good highways, only a few people travel on them, and those people don't travel very far. I'll get back to you an the total miles by rail and road/ person /year in both areas later.
I've driven on European highways. They have traffic just like we have, they have urban traffic jams (Berlin highways at rush hour suck). The total miles are different because Europe has a better rail system so more people can use it to go places and commute to work, not because of a shortage of cars, and because European gas taxes are high enough to make highways actually pay their own way, as opposed to the massive subsidies they get in the US out of general funds and property taxes. User fees in the US pay just half the cost of highways. http://www.subsidyscope.com/transportation/highways/funding/