BIKE: (no subject)

[Robert Farr]

Steve,
Fred's counterpoint not withstanding, I observed exactly the same sort of
behavior by Americans driving in Germany. Fred is probably mistaking speed
for impatience as Germans do seem to drive very briskly even though they
obey speed limits much more strictly than we Americans raised in the "I
can't drive 55" era.

Having spent several years bike riding and driving in Germany as a US
serviceman, I think the reason for their patience is they're accustomed to
slow moving vehicles. Farm equipment frequently travels over roads and
highways from villages several kilometers to the outlying fields. I've even
seen cattle walking inside a sort of rolling cage contraption being towed at
walking pace. 

Who cares if the weather is awful? If I was you, I'd stay in the EU and
never look back.
--
Bob
 
Stephen Peckham wrote:

> I've been living in Heidelberg, Germany since August 2003, and one of
> the most important differences I've noticed between here and the US is
> the attitude of car drivers.  In my experience, car drivers don't get
> mad when they see a bicycle, or when a bicycle slows them down.
> Bicycles are simply treated like other slow-moving vehicles, and drivers
> wait patiently until there is room to pass.
> 
>  And when a car does squeeze by where there's not enough room, it
> frequently turns out to be an American driver (identifiable by the
> license plate).
> 
> In the US, whenever I hold up automobile traffic, I'm conscious that I'd
> better hurry and get out of the way before the driver loses patience and
> runs me over.
> 
> Steve Peckham

-- 
Robert Farr
Austin, TX
bobfarr

" A word to the wise is infuriating. "
                                    Hunter S. Thompson