Traffic Signs (Photo Challenge)

OK, I'm Queen Scatterbrain when there are special topics in our Challenge. But I can't stop my brain getting connotations which might be unusual. I'm an urban geographer and my daughter is studying town planning. So traffic signs are not only traffic signs but represent models like the car friendly town by Sir Colin Buchanan or the German architect Hans Reichow. Your cities in the USA are very car friendly, so are our cities. It's an old concept with many, many problems. I think you all experienced these problems yourself. European and German town planners are retreating from this principle and try to find new concepts for town renewal. Car friendly towns are "human unfriendly" and urban life does not take part between these oversized highways which are cutting up neighborhoods and avoid communication and street life. Well, it's a topic that could fill hundreds of books, but these few sentences are enough for a photo challenge.

I thought it would be nice coming with me and looking through the car window as if you were the driver. Come with me and look how a typical German car friendly town looks like. And of course you will see traffic signs!

I must confess, that I did these pictures not today, but last October. But I'm ill today and can't go outside. So I hope it counts.

Here we start!

 

This is my home village: Notice the traffic signs! Check! The yellow sign says: Here is a village, you aren't allowed to drive faster than 50 km/h. The sign with the red and white stripes says: Dangerous bend!

 

At first we drive on normal state roads, which use to have two lanes. In the background you see the outline of an old volcano which is dominating the landscape.

Then we use the autobahn, which usually has at least 4 lanes, but sometimes also up to 8 lanes. This here is near an expressway interchange, so there are more lanes. On the autobahn you are allowed to drive as fast as you want. On my opinion there should be a speed limit!

If you are tired and need a break you can stop at one of the motor houses. But I can't suggest it, because the restaurant is very expensive and very bad. You only get fast food. Even using the toilets is expensive. Not to talk about fuel...

Big ring roads take you from the autobahn to the next city. The lanes are often divided with concrete obstacles and the crossing traffic drives upon road bridges.

This is an underground station. Notice the traffic sign: 70! You are allowed to drive 70 km/h. In towns it is usually only 50 km/h, but on these big roads you mostly can drive faster. The bridge is only for pedestrians who had to cross the road to get the underground.

Sometimes these urban highways are so wide, that pedestrians can't cross them. This is another pedestrian bridge. 

When you are closer to the city the ring roads cross each other and there are very ugly intersections. In the outskirts of the town there are big business parks like this here, where people can also go shopping. More and more people do their shopping here, because it takes too long to drive into the city and find a free parking lot there.

Here we are in the old quarters which were constructed at about 1880 to 1920. The old houses are mostly not in good condition, there are no gardens and only few green plants. It's loud and dusty. The shops which were formerly in the first floor are mostly abandoned or there are shops for poor people or special ethnic groups of the population (Turkish, African, Russian,...shops). These are quarters for the lower classes.

This is shortly before we arrive at the border to the old Medevial town. Here are parking garages (blue sign with P on it), hotels and a lot of office buildings.

Here you see the pedestrian zone in the city. This was the area of the medevial town, but during WW II most of the old buildings were destroyed and so you find a lot of new ones like the "Kaufhof", a department store, which was constructed in the 60ies. An imporant principle of the car freindly town is, that other kinds of traffic like pedestrians and bikerider are banned on special lanes and special zones, so that the cars can drive with high speed. Outside these pedestrian zone the pedestrians and bikeriders had to wait very long at the crosswalks until they are allowed to cross a 6 lane road in 15 seconds! As a pedestrian you aren't allowed to be old or sick! You have to hurry, because the cars have to drive. And where there are no crosswalks there are tunnels, which are stinking after human excrements or bridges, which are pretty steep for old people for example or those who are hampered.

This is also a residential quarter for lower classes, mostly of German origin. There are six apartments in each apartment building and blocks of garages. Well, it's pretty dreary. The road collects the traffic from the smaller residential streets and has got usually two lanes and parking lots beside it.

There are also multi-storing buildings at the smaller residential streets. These tenants don't have garages, but only parking lots. The lawn is not planned for playing on it or sitting outside, it's just lawn. Most of the apartments have balconies. It's not desirable to live here. It's a bit like in a battery farm.

This is a small shopping center in one of these quarters. It consists of a supermarket, a hairdresser, another supermarket with very cheap food and a bakery. People can get there what they need daily.

More outside the town there are endless quarters with homes of different age. This quarter is constructed in the 80ies. These quarters look different, which depends on the different age of the houses. But I think this is the same in the USA. These are the quarters for the middle classes.

I prefer to leave the town. I love the country. - The sign on the left side says: You are now allowed to pass again. Outside of towns and villages you are allowed to drive 100 km/h, which is pretty fast.  

 

Oh, we also have got Mac Donalds (Do you see the sign?) 

 Night is coming!

Home again in our small village.

*****************************************************************************************

 Photo Challenge!

http://margareetaville.blogspot.com/

http://bustershouse.wordpress.com/

http://jayahrsblog.blogspot.com/

 

Comments

[Patti]

What a great little photo story for your Feb. challenge, Georgia. When I got to the end and saw the half moon, I was surprised and confused. I knew it didn't make any sense for us to have a full moon while you have a half moon. Then I went back and read your opening paragraph closer. Ahhhh!!! Now it makes sense. I hope you're feeling better!

[Surreal Georgia]

Yes, thanks a lot. If you look closer, you also notice that the trees have got leafs and also the sky is sometimes cloudless and sometimes grey. I made this little story out of several photo series during October.

[ree]

I absolutely loved your pictures and the little look into what life is like in your world! In some ways, we are very much alike and in others, we are different.

Here, parking areas are marked with the same blue P signs that yours are! That just tickled me for some reason!

And, I agree with what Lisa said in a recent post. You DO deserve the award for the most unique perspective of a challenge!

Excellent pictures and thank you for the series!

[Lisa]

I have learned so much from this post! I didn't know there were volcanoes in Germany. When it comes to housing for the lower classes around here, it isn't surprising to see a new car parked out front, a 55 inch flat screen teevee, and the DirectTV guy doing installations.
Is that a Nissan logo under the McD's sign? I thought everyone in Germany drove VWs, Audis, or BMWs ;-) j/k

[Surreal Georgia]

Thank you, Ree and Lisa. It's the same with me, when I read your posts. I love to learn a lot about life in Ohio. It's always very interesting to me. Some things are very similar, others different. But life is not so much different, I think. We all would be wonderful neighbors!
To Lisa: No, no, there are a lot of different car types in Germany. Yes, this is a Nissan Logo. I have been drivin Toyotas for the last 20 years and now I'm driving a Dacia, which is Renault from France. When I bouhgt the first Toyota some people scolded me for not driving a German car. It's weird, isn't it!? By the way in our times of globalization you can't say where a car is produced. The parts come from all over the world.