On: The Crisis in American Walking

[jgw]

Sort of related - a funny observation that might amuse Americans about us wacky Canucks:

An awful lot of Canadians, myself included, avoid drive-through ATMs, and instead park and walk into the bank. And sometimes, when the bank's busy, we walk up to the the drive-through ATM.

I did this once when I was a co-op student in Starkville, MS, and got some really, really strange looks.

[flurdy → jgw]

Drive through ATMs? Never heard about that before. Suppose it makes sense in a drive centric area, but then I only use an ATM once or twice a year and I can walk to it if I need to.

But about the only time I do pay with cash nowadays is a drive through KFC, perhaps they dont trust people to not drive off with their portable pin&chip terminals...

[HeyLaughingBoy → jgw]

Around here, the only bank ATMs that are not drive through are at the banks that are inside grocery stores.

You usually can't walk up to a drive through. Although my wife has ridden horses to the McDonalds drive through window before...

[simmons → jgw]

My bank's branch in my neighborhood only has a drive-through ATM... and a sign disallowing pedestrians from using it. (A lot of drive-through places have such signs... liability, insurance, etc.) It's annoying. Of course, pedestrians walk up to the drive-through ATM all the time, anyway.

(By the way, I lived in Starkville in my college years, and also had some strange looks as a pedestrian...)

[excuse-me → jgw]

It's generally quicker to park and walk in than use the drive-though. (Except at Timmy's where nothing is quicker)

At In-and-out burger (the one reason good to live in Ca) there is generally a walk-up window by the drive-through so you can park and beat the queue.

If you feel this is un-america you could always leave the engine running while you wait.