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The German solution to our chaotic roads



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 31st 11, 03:48 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
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Default The German solution to our chaotic roads

It is said that the "Revolution is about Solutions," and no institution is free from scrutiny and questioning. The Germans do it right so let's do it like them. Are we borrowing from a Third World country instead?

I'D ASSUME THE EXPENSIVE, STRICT DRIVER'S LICENSE WOULD KEEP MANY IDIOTS OFF THE ROAD. GOOD PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND BIKE FACILITIES ARE THUS NEEDED. THE SMARTER ONES AMONG THE IDIOTS RIDE BIKES.

I will quote this article for your enlightenment. Notice how things make sense. Notice how we stand in chaos. Thank you.

Driving in Germany

When driving on the German Autobahn, one realizes that auto racing is not confined to famous race tracks like the Nürburgring. Germans, and the Austrians and Swiss, like to drive fast, and they have been in love with their cars ever since Carl Benz (1844-1927) invented the first practical motor car in 1885.

… [Until 2006,] Germany was the third largest producer of automobiles in the world (exceeded only by Japan and the United States). [Germany is] a country that takes its driving very seriously. This is understandable when you realize that a German driver’s license costs [over $2000], after a minimum of 25-45 hours of professional instruction plus 12 hours of theory, and such a license is good for life. [As of 2013, the German license must conform to the EU term of 10 or 15 years.]

Cars marked “Fahrschule” (driving school) mean a student driver may be at the wheel. However, you don’t have too much to worry about; in typical thorough German fashion, Fahrschule cars are equipped with dual controls so that the instructor can take over any time the student gets into serious trouble. The practical, on-the-road training time has to include night driving, autobahn experience, in-town driving, and a multitude of other driving situations. The test for a German driver’s license includes questions about the mechanical aspects of an automobile, in addition to the usual examination on the rules of the road...

German and European traffic law has a few variations that North American drivers may not always be aware of. For instance, it is illegal to pass on the right on the Autobahn. Slow moving vehicles must always move to the right, and faster vehicles may pass on the left only. The only exception is when both lanes are moving slowly (under 60 km per hour, 35 mph), as in the frequent traffic jams (Verkehrsstaus). In such cases drivers are allowed to pass on the right, but at a speed no higher than 20 km per hour faster than the traffic in the left lane.

You will see speed limit signs (round) posted much less often in Germany than in the U.S. But German drivers are expected to know the law. In cities and towns, the speed limit (Tempolimit) is 50 km/h (31 mph) unless otherwise posted. In the last decade or so, the "30-Zone" has gained great popularity. These are residential areas with a posted 30 km/h (18 mph) speed limit to protect children and pedestrians who live in the neighborhood. On normal two-lane highways the limit is 100 km/h (62 mph). Cars towing trailers must stay under 80 km/h (50 mph). The autobahn has a “suggested” speed limit of 130 km/h (80 mph), a suggestion widely ignored by many Mercedes and Porsche drivers. They may suddenly appear out of nowhere, close behind, blinking their brights to move you out of their way. Not even $5.00-per-gallon gasoline can make most German drivers slow down.

It is rare to see a dented, smoking junk car in Germany. This is not just due to typical German neatness or pride of ownership. It also has to do with a German institution that is as feared and respected as is perhaps the Internal Revenue Service in the U.S. The Technische Überwachungsverein or TÜV is an agency that must approve the roadworthiness of German cars and trucks. Without a TÜV (pronounced TOOF) sticker, a vehicle can't be licensed or driven. Cars have been known to fail TÜV inspection for having a single rust spot or dent in a critical location. A broken light or a malfunctioning exhaust system would be obvious reasons for rejection. A popular bumper sticker seen on older German vehicles likely to run afoul of TÜV reads, “Bis dass der TÜV uns scheidet.” (“Till TÜV us do part.”)...

http://www.german-way.com/driving.html

***

But what I like most about Germany is that they have extensive BIKE FACILITIES. It all makes sense if you think about it.

http://voixmag.net/wp-content/upload...-thinking.jpeg


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  #2  
Old August 31st 11, 07:15 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
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Default The German solution to our chaotic roads

It seems like the old folks are having a lot of fun in Germany...

"I sometimes think the largest population on the bike paths is the over 60 crowd."

http://bicyclegermany.com/what_to_expect.html

Who says fun stops at 60?

But they got some 70,000km (43,000miles) of bike lanes in such a small country.

Compare that with the situation in the Wild West...

Bicycle Friendly: And just how friendly is bike riding in Germany? In parts of the US, red necks driving pick-up trucks try to force bikers off the road. (I hate them for their arrogance and ignorance.) In Germany by contrast, nearly every vehicle will cross the centerline to give bikers a wide berth. I cannot count the times cars and trucks have slowed to my speed for a block or more when passing me would have crowded me to the side of a street or road. This is because the streets are narrow and drivers are used to sharing the road with bikers, parked cars, pedestrians, or people on in-line skates. Yes, you will have to ride on some streets in Germany but it is much safer than riding on streets in the States.
  #3  
Old August 31st 11, 07:58 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
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Default The German solution to our chaotic roads

Unbelievable. In Germany the old gentlemen follow the old ladies... It must be that they look good from riding bikes!

"You will see sixty-something and seventy-something women wearing dresses and sporting earrings and bracelets riding happily along at 7 mph. Chances are the seventy or eighty-something men just behind them are trying to think of opening lines to use to meet these young chicks. We have met several seventy-something people with fully loaded bikes on bike tour vacations as well. There may be a limit to physical ability but there is no age limit."

***

I'm kind of looking forward to having an old age like that.

I got a bike so, but so beautiful, that all ladies go crazy about me. I love it, I really love it. The Medical Industry will have to do without me.
  #4  
Old September 2nd 11, 05:15 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
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Default The German solution to our chaotic roads

On Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:43:36 PM UTC-4, JimCo wrote:
On Aug 31, 1:57 pm, "TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"
wrote:
Unbelievable. In Germany the old gentlemen follow the old ladies... It must be that they look good from riding bikes!

"You will see sixty-something and seventy-something women wearing dresses and sporting earrings and bracelets riding happily along at 7 mph. Chances are the seventy or eighty-something men just behind them are trying to think of opening lines to use to meet these young chicks. We have met several seventy-something people with fully loaded bikes on bike tour vacations as well. There may be a limit to physical ability but there is no age limit."

***

I'm kind of looking forward to having an old age like that.

I got a bike so, but so beautiful, that all ladies go crazy about me. I love it, I really love it. The Medical Industry will have to do without me..


When I was in the army I was stationed with our occupation forces in
Germany from 1953-1956. The army restricted us to a 50 mph (as I
recall) speed limit on the autobahn, whereas there was no limit for
the Germans. This was most unfuriating since the Germans would
gleefully pass us by at rip-roaring speeds while gloating about it. Of
course, the MPs were constantly partolling the roads to ensure that we
complied with this damnable rule! I married a German girl in 1955, and
so we have been back to Germany to visit several times through the
years. I never drove myself, since my brother-in-law did it all for
us. But there still appeared to be no speed limit for most of the
autobahn stretches. However, there were a fairly large number of
horrific pileups, with cars strewn all over like toys.Also, large
traffic congestions and backups were common, resulting in long delays.
(The Germans call such a congestion "ein Stau." ) The occurrence and
status of these "Staus" are constantly being broadcast on the radio.


Thank you for that interesting info. What they seem to have done --unlike America-- is to diversify transportation means --including bikes and fast trains-- while preserving the value of the human being, so much so that they don't hesitate to use speed cameras to tame traffic.

Here the car is being left obsolete in favor of the SUV.
 




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