Stuff about Germany: Streets

The streets in Germany are different than those I'm used to in Canada.

What I'm used to is a street that is paved with asphalt that is usually wide enough to fit two cars across, with probably some extra space on each side to let larger vehicles go by each other. Sometimes there is even more room to allow for parking. At the edge of that is usually a paved sidewalk. The sidewalk can be right up against the street, but usually it is separated by a bit of grass. Also, the sidewalk is usually raised up from the street by a curb.

From what I've seen of Germany, streets are like that at all.

First, the streets are paved with a variety of materials. Dirt, rocks, bricks, cobblestone, stone tile, asphalt, bottlecaps, chocolate and occasionally the backs of the working poor (only some of the previous are true). The most common paving material I've seen is brick.

Main roads tend to be about two vehicles wide. With no real space on the edges. Cars are smaller here, so I suppose that works out. Some roads are slightly more than one car wide, which doesn't make them one way, it just makes them harder to drive along. Generally, cars park on the sidewalk, either fully, or partially - though I have seen them park at the edge of the street on occasion, but those streets are usually wider than average (which still puts them about a car's width skinnier than a Canadian street).

Skinny roads with traffic going both ways leads to a lot of instances where cars wait for each other to pass between the two lanes of parked cars already on the street. So far, the German drivers seem to be very patient for this. They are not very patient when it comes to taking a corner though, so if you do drive here, try to make very quick left turns.

Sidewalks start at the edge of the road, and generally continue right up to the garden wall, or right up the house itself. The sidewalk is meant for people, execept for when it's used for parking by cars. Or when it is used as a bike lane. Or when it is used as both a bike lane and for parking.

Bike lanes are marked in red. This can be red brick, red paint, an area outlined by red, or simply space on one side of a lane marker (which is often white). Bike lanes may be on the road, on an area all to themselves, or as part of the sidewalk. And any bike lane may hop on and off the road at various points, depending on the level of car traffic and the whims of the traffic planners at city hall.

Pedestrians are supposed to stay off the red areas, and some places are pretty mean about making sure this happens. Generally, bikers and pedestrians get along pretty well. And cars are generally pretty courteous about bikes sharing the road. As long as you stay off the main highway areas, it seems like a good way to get around.