Cities are exciting places, full of things to do and see. But one of the things that people often see a lot more of than they want to when city travelling, is busy roads and traffic jams. Learning how to get around these problems and make the best of the situation where they are unavoidable can increase your enjoyment tremendously.

Cars are the basic mode of transportation for most cities. However, many cities were not built to handle the amount of traffic they now face on a daily basis, and traveling in a car can be slow and frustrating. Still, they are the transportation of choice for most city dwellers and visitors, except in a few places such as New York City.

The main advantage of cars is being able to go exactly where you want to go, when you want to go there, with no schedule to follow except your own. This benefit trumps the unpleasantness of driving in heavy traffic or getting stuck in traffic jams, for many. Individualism has made this type of independence very attractive to people in most Western countries.

Another advantage of a car is for people that are elderly or disabled. Those who can’t walk between public transit stops, or climb freely in and out of buses and taxis, may find that a car is the only practical way for them to get around. Cars can be personalized for comfort and modified for special needs, including ramps, wheelchair access, and more.

In some cities, public transit is the way of life. These cities are common in Europe, and are becoming more so in North America. The problem is that with so much public transit, there are fewer accessible taxis and buses, and the public transit system itself often limits the options accessible to people with disabilities.

Many cities have disabled-friendly bus services and taxis, as well as dedicated disabled-friendly shuttles that get passengers to and from the door with as much ease as possible. (Disabled-friendly bus services are available in many areas, especially downtown.) When booking a cab, make sure the driver you hire can get you where you want to go comfortably. If you need a wheelchair or motorized scooter, ask the driver if he or she can accommodate you. And if you have a pda or handicap scooter, ask your driver if he or she can accommodate you. Some cab companies offer even more freedom than this. For example, ask about whether the cab can take you anywhere in or around the city that you specify, or if the car can go in areas that are outside the city proper.

If you’re traveling with a wheelchair or special transportation device, ask whether the taxi can take you anywhere you want to go, or just to the city’s center. If the taxi can’t, ask the driver if they can pick you up at a nearby shopping mall or large parking lot.

Ask the driver if the car has a safety-kit; always ask for a safety-kit, especially when you’re anxious about going into a city. The safety kit should include emergency blankets, whistles, a first-aid kit, and emergency slices.

If the driver has a passenger who is wheelchair-bound or just seems a little anxious, tell the driver that you’ll be fine if you can just sit and relax. Although it’s always better to be safe than sorry, sometimes it’s better to just ask for the driver to stop in a less populated area.

When you get to your destination, always take a look at the back of the cab. The back window is a great place to check out the city, and can give you a good idea of what downtown looks like. Ask the cab driver to show you around, and also let you know which locations are less popular and may have less of a taxi demand. These places may have less of a touristy feel, and a shorter backing-up process. In other words, they are less crowded.

It is always a good idea to book your taxi five to ten days in advance. This will allow the taxi company to get your business more efficiently, as they are needed to reserve the taxi out of your home, and to get a reservation at a better location. When you get to the prime parking spot, you will have a taxi just waiting to take you to your destination. This is a good way to take a taxi without waiting in a long line at the airport.

From time to time, the owner of a taxi company will offer an incentive to customers who spend a certain number of kilometers in a cab, or at a restaurant. The sizes of the incentives can range from a free bottle of beer to a free hotel bed. The purpose of the incentives is always for the benefit of the taxi riders, not a businessman in general. This is an excellent way to get a customer to stay longer in the taxi.