• leave_it_blank@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    In Germany the streets are far too often a fight for survival. I miss the Netherlands, driving there, bike or car, was so much more relaxing.

    But, you know, Germans and their cars…

    • txmyx@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      In my experience the bike infrastructure was great, but riding the bike in the city was more stressful than in Germany.

    • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      as a car driver, i have no problems with bike drivers themselves. i hate whoever thought 1 lane and a thin sidewalk was enough road.

      • Anti-Antidote@lemmy.zip
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        1 year ago

        Gets you to slow down and pay attention to your surroundings, doesn’t it? That’s the point, if you build roads that feel cramped to drivers they’ll naturally drive slower (i.e. actually the speed limit). Building all streets like they’re highways is a good way to get people going 50-60 mph on roads with houses directly on them.

        • TeckFire@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          So, there’s a balance. If you don’t build enough room to do anything but drive slow to be safe, the moment someone is fast, the chances of a crash are very high.

          If you build a road that has too much clearance, you end up with people driving faster, which is okay because there’s more room for people to be out of the way, likely reducing the amount of crashes. The drawback to this is, if people drive faster, the fewer crashes that do occur are at higher speeds, which are more deadly.

          So the ratio of number of crashes to severity of crashes is what the end result is.

          Granted, I live in the US where single lane country back-roads will have people in trucks going down at 50MPH randomly, so I don’t know if Europeans drive more cautiously. I know their driving tests are more comprehensive for sure.

        • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          it’s also a great way to put people’s lives at risk. i don’t think anyone thought of what you’re describing.

          • AMuscelid@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            No, that’s explicitly the reason for it, and it’s been shown to reduce the severity of crashes because people drive the speed limit when they feel it’s risky to go faster.

            • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              so swerving into oncoming traffic is safe? i had numerous near crashes because people overtook a bike driver coming my way. the netherlands do it better, the bikes have their own separated lane.

        • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          11:17 is the timestamp that is most relevant here, separated bike paths should be the norm. and not the shitty “fahrradschutzsstreifen” bullshit they are pulling in germany. i have to swerve around people going not even 20km/h when i’m going 50. there’s no way that reduces accidents. the netherlands rock. i went on a vacation there a few years ago. public transport is so much better there. (key phrase “viable alternative”)

      • 6daemonbag@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        My gramps used to think even looking at his cars was asking permission to drive or touch them. “Nein!”

        He was gregarious at all other times, but “don’t go in my fucking garage”

  • moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    In Europe you don’t need countries for this. The smallest federal country will have a clear difference on the road at the border of two federated entities. Worst, it can happen between municipalities in some countries.

    • AggressivelyPassive@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Worst, it can happen between municipalities in some countries.

      There are other countries as stupid as Germany? I thought we were alone!

      • moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        Switzerland, Austria, … It’s more common than we think.

        My favorite case is the resurfacing of the road in the first municipal territory and less than a year later, the second municipality does it on its side.

  • Shieldtoad@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I know that place. The borders between the Ellestraat (Hulst, NL) and the Hellestraat (Stekene, BE).

    The right side of the street on the Belgian part is actually Dutch for a few 100 meters. If you look around on street view the part with a bicycle lane is Belgian, the part without it is Dutch.

  • Zerush@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Yes, the country where you see on Monday who is going to visit you on Tuesday and where the highest hills are the dikes

  • 8tomat8@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It is not even a joke. Every time we cross the border between the Netherlands and Belgium in a car, we laugh about how distinct it is.

  • Magnetar@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    It’s so eerily flat there, it’s unsettling. I don’t understand how people can stand it.

    • thehatfox@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I grew up in a very flat part of England, flatness to me is the default and I get genuinely excited by hills.

      • CashewNut 🏴󠁢󠁥󠁧󠁿@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I get excited by hills but it’s because they remind me of home. Out of my window was a deep valley with a huge hill and just watching the seasons pass each year was a joy. The spring lambing season when the sheep covered the hills to the winter with snow covering them and you’d know it was time to fetch the sledge!

        Moved to Lincolnshire in my mid teens and it bored the absolute fuck out of me. Fields of rapeseed in all directions as far as the eye could see. Relentless wind that had no hills to block it so it never changed direction.

        I found it easier biking with a BMX on hills than I did using a mountain bike in windy flat conditions.

    • JDubbleu@programming.dev
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      1 year ago

      As someone who grew up somewhere super flat it really doesn’t get to you because it’s all you’ve ever known. However, now that I live somewhere with hills it drives me crazy when I visit home.

      • Mothra@mander.xyz
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        1 year ago

        I can relate. I never imagined I would see someone complain or not understand what living on a flat area is like- it’s super easy! It’s the mountains and hills what’s difficult!

        • dkt@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          Hills are depth. They add character to any place for free. Oh you don’t like where you are right now? Just go up

      • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        The Netherlands doesn’t have good bicycle infrastructure because of the fact that the country is relatively flat - they have it because they prioritized safe streets in the 70s following the stop de kindermoord-campaign.

        • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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          1 year ago

          As far as public safety campaign titles go, “Stop the child murdering” is fucking metal! 😄🤘👌

      • ThirdWorldOrder@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Accidents happen in the Netherlands just like anywhere else. I’m half Dutch and my grandfather was hit by a car and killed there.

        “The bicycle was the most dangerous mode of transportation in 2022, with a total of 291 fatalities. The car came in second place, with 225 victims. By comparison, that year 57 pedestrians and 20 truck drivers were also killed in traffic accidents in the Netherlands.”

        • onion@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          I think you have to look at the rate, accidents per km. That accounts for dutch using bikes more than other countries

        • MoodyRaincloud@feddit.nl
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          1 year ago

          The numbers went up since the mass adoption of electric bikes. This caused especially elderly people to drive twice as fast as they could before, with heavier bikes they can’t control as well and they generally don’t wear helmets.

          The next big problem are young people doing what young people do but now with electric assistance

          • ThirdWorldOrder@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            I didn’t even think about that, but it makes sense why the numbers seem much higher now. My grandfather (Opa) was killed in the early 90s… somewhere around Eindhoven… can’t remember exactly

            • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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              1 year ago

              Somewhere around Eindhoven in the early 90s, you say? 🤔

              Was Romário cleared before fleeing to Catalonia?😛

        • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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          1 year ago

          So, are those bikers fatal to themselves or are they killed because of other vehicles?

  • pau_hana@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    The border-free zone is called the Schengen area. There are still some EU member states that aren’t included. Euronews article

    “Austria has blocked the accession of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen, the passport-free area that has abolished border checks between the vast majority of EU member states.”