Posts about Germany

New meaning of "airpark": Berlin turned a huge but unneeded Nazi-era airport into a park. They didn't have money to redesign it, but locals have made good use of its open and forested spaces anyway. (LA Times) (Comment · Share)

A really long block party: Could you imagine closing I-95 between Washington and Baltimore for a day to host a "block party"? That's exactly what the Germans did with a 37 mile stretch of an Autobahn this weekend. (Yahoo! News, Erik W) (Comment · Share)

Way too hot: That MARC "hell train" is nothing compared to a Deutche Bahn express train which left Berlin without working A/C and windows that can't be opened. Temperatures reached 50°C (122°F) and 9 people went to the hospital. (The Local, Jeff) (Comment · Share)

Destruction in Europe: Germany might be way ahead of us in transit and bicycling mode share, but they're still building big freeways, one of which could damage much of the nation's Riesling production (BBC News, Matthias) ... The creator of the Range Rover was killed by a van and driver while he was cycling (Autocar) ... The US owes $54 million in unpaid congesstion tolls in London. (AP) (Comment · Share)

Panel summary: Ted Rosenbaum enjoyed last night's panel about ped, bike, and transit in Germany vs. the US, and the bicycle flash mob video they showed at the start. Regional cooperation was a big topic; thanks to federal incentives, German cities have more regional transit passes that even often include car sharing. (Elevating Chicago) (Comment · Share)

Transit

Weekend video: Why don't you slide

by David Alpert • June 19, 2010 1:46 pm

Volkswagen made a Berlin U-bahn station a lot of fun:

Wouldn't it be great if US car companies did marketing stunts involving making subway stations more fun? And wouldn't it be great if US companies weren't so nervous about liability that they could actually get such an idea past their legal department?

10 comments — Share	— tags: Germany, transit, video

Way ahead of us in Germany: An American visiting Germany discovered that nobody would dream of throwing away batteries, the escalators use sensors to turn off when nobody is using them, and if your VW breaks down, the dealership will let you choose between a free taxi ride, subway fare, or a loaner bike to get around in the meantime. (Nat.org, DC Dan) (Comment · Share)

Bike to brothel: A German brothel is giving customers a discount if they arrive by bicycle. (BBC) (Comment · Share)

Street in Vauban. By adeupa de Brest.

Car-free German suburb: The new Vauban district of Freiburg, Germany prohibits cars on almost all streets. Drivers can park in garages at the perimeter; residents get around by tram or bike. (Times, many) (Comment · Share)

German city more neighborly: GGW contributor Dave Murphy is in Germany for work. His city, about the same size as Columbia, MD, "has more parkland, more greenspace within walking distance, less traffic, less crime..." Plus, he's met many of his neighbors and the owners of local shops, unlike most of our experiences in similarly-sized cities here. (Comment · Share)