Our city, for the last 45 yrs, has been designed around the car. It was presumed that everyone would travel by car, so almost nothing is walking distance, and if it is, there are no sidewalks, and you have to cross an 8 lane freeway on a 4 second walk light.
Public transit is fine if you are going downtown, if not, pack a lunch and a sleeping bag.
Going from home to work? Fergit about the bus.
The news yesterday said car sales in Canada went UP a fair bit in October...winter's coming, people need reliable wheels I guess.