A video of European tourists making a "rookie mistake" on a walk through a city park in the U.S. has gone viral on Instagram.
The clip was shared by Natalia & Julian (@_anothertravelcouple_) and has received 8.9 million views since it was posted February 22. A message overlaid on the video says: "Just us Europeans thinking we could walk a US city comfortably."
The footage shows a couple of men standing by wired fencing next to a highway in what appears to be New York City, according to signage on the highway. Both men are seen walking through a large opening in the fence.
A caption shared with the post reads: "Rookie mistake." The two men are later shown walking on a narrow pathway along the side of the highway. Cars zoom by as they walk past a pole with signs saying "snow emergency route" and "road service by permit only" before the clip ends.
In a later comment, the original poster wrote: "No hate. We have been to the US several times and love them for so many reasons. However, pedestrian infrastructure is not really one of them."
The poster's sentiment about the apparent lack of walk-friendly places in the United States is understandable. Many of the most walkable cities were considered to be abroad, according to a study released in 2020 by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), a nonprofit based in New York City that promotes environmentally sustainable and equitable transportation policies and projects worldwide.
The study ranked the best cities for walking based on different criteria, such as proximity to services like health care and educational facilities, for which Paris, Lima in Peru, London, Santiago in Chile and Bogotá in Colombia were among the top five.
Hong Kong, Moscow, Paris, Bogotá and London were the top five cities for car-free places. Khartoum in Sudan, Bogotá, Lima, Karachi in Pakistan and Tokyo were among the top five cities based on block density, with smaller city blocks making it easier for pedestrians to walk directly to their destinations.
The four most walkable U.S. cities were found to be Baltimore, Boston, New York and San Francisco, while Atlanta, Indianapolis, Orlando in Florida and San Antonio ranked lowest in the country, according to the ITDP study.
The number of people who walked for fitness in the U.S. increased for the fifth consecutive year in 2021, reaching 115.8 million, according to data compiled by Statista, the global data company.
'So Accurate'
In a later comment, the poster of the Instagram clip explained: "We followed the path Google Maps showed us. All of a sudden a part of the park was closed for construction with a big fence blocking the way. Neither Google nor any signs indicated the dead end beforehand."
Turning around, walking back and finding a detour would have taken 30 minutes or longer, the poster said. "We took the 'shortcut,' which was just a couple 100 meters next to slow traffic." He added: "Be honest, you would have done so, too."
The post led to debate among some users on Instagram, with some agreeing with the original poster.
User briwalston said: "HAHA this is so accurate. I was SHOCKED at how easy it was to walk everywhere in Italy."
"As an architecture and urbanism student yes, we use the US as a reference of how not to design a walkable space," wrote _azul_bajito_.
User trap_ichi said: "I swear America is built for cars and not people Living here without a car for years and it's miserable cuz they never build proper sidewalks or they just don't build any at all. Once you get a car is easier to get around but it sucks for people that don't have the money for a car."
'You Can't Be Serious'
Others disagreed, such as shundell___, who said: "You can't be serious. This is the NYC area. The most walkable city In this country and find the most non walkable spot to create a s***** reel?"
User m.vashti agreed, asking, "Are they in NY complaining that there's no sidewalks?"
User zachary_okon wrote: "The US is far less densely populated than Europe is. So even if there were sidewalks everywhere, nobody would use them because they live 20 minutes away in a car, so that's like 1.5 hours walking from their house."
Said ginger_powder: "My city is the size of most European countries. I'll stick to driving. You euroboys can have fun walking."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via Instagram. This video has not been independently verified.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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