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It's an interesting point you bring up. European cities never really became magnets for automobiles, and have always had smaller, more pedestrian-oriented streets. American cities burgeoned out of highways, which became analogically blood vessels after President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway project. Thats roughly around the time American suburbs spawned from the higher ease of commute.
Owning and Operating an Automobile costs more in Europe and many of the Old Town City Streets are many hundreds of years old... not conducive to automobile traffic.
Many of the small town Railway Commuter Stations have trains that no longer even stop... no commuters.
I remember in the 60's and 70's people walking to the depot in small towns in Austria... the Stations are still there... but NO ONE uses them as in Zero.
Europeans love their Automobiles and German's love their Autobahn which still has areas without speed limits... and are willing to pay a much higher price to enjoy them...
Owning and Operating an Automobile costs more in Europe and many of the Old Town City Streets are many hundreds of years old... not conducive to automobile traffic.
Many of the small town Railway Commuter Stations have trains that no longer even stop... no commuters.
I remember in the 60's and 70's people walking to the depot in small towns in Austria... the Stations are still there... but NO ONE uses them as in Zero.
Europeans love their Automobiles and German's love their Autobahn which still has areas without speed limits... and are willing to pay a much higher price to enjoy them...
That´s true in abandoned regions, where most families/singles own their own car, but in general our public transport services are still ok - but the costs are killing us!
Yes Germans like their cars, and all the have nots all over the world are dreaming of their own car. It´s a symbol of freedom and ownership ... but this "sheet box" also advances individualism and anonymity
In bigger German towns some people prefere their car, but many only use it for longer distances, public transport and bycicle are in common in metro areas. Many low incomers, among them also families, don´t have an own car, but they can do well without. I don´t have a car, and it´s no problem for me!
BUT:
The high costs for public transport are an issue here in Germany. Thank you Privatisiation ...
Last edited by GermanCiticen; 06-24-2009 at 09:20 PM..
The high costs for public transport are an issue here in Germany. Thank you Privatisiation ...
I was in Vienna when the decision was made to start charging "Lifetime" students to use Public Transportation.
I found the Vienna system very user friendly and sometimes would park my car for a week or more.
Students always received free or nearly free transit. A decision was made that someone 30 years old and still a student should have to pay... maybe the age was less than 30? Anyway, there were protests and loud demonstrations covered in the news... my friends in the farming countryside were rather annoyed by it all... and considered those protesting to be spoiled...
One image is better than thousand words. I was browsing Houston section of this forum. If that photo is "quite okay" to you, you are not a foreigner :)
Well, I am a foreigner but I have to admit I must be missing something too. Is it just that the couple have coordinated their outfits? Ok, I find that a little unusual, but I'm guessing there must be something else in this photo that I'm missing...
It feels like a "where's wally" picture, I keep searching for something completely out of place and will probably feel like an idiot when you point it out, but I just can't see it.
I was wondering the same. Yeah there's a store with a big "Food" word on it, but isn't it a grocery store? Are grocery stores unacceptable in other countries? Or is it that they would never put anything in large letters? None of the people in the picture look particularly fat. The woman in red is a bit large in the hips, but I know I've seen European women like that in pictures and life.
So I go back to the "Food" sign I guess. A boxy building with big red letters is offensive to the person, correct? (I actually think that building's a tad ugly myself. Not unacceptable, just blah)
I think he's getting at the horrendous way they're dressed. But they're all fairly old, so they get a pass.
and it was hot as hell......I doubt anyone is going to walk around rocking ed hardy in 100 degree weather.
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