Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Anyone feel like moving to Germany?

Apparently there is a city across the water trying to go car-free.

Check it.

5 comments:

munsoned said...

I've actually always dreamed of this. I started college in Kearney and saw how the towns right off the interstate/rail line could easily go car free. You have freight and car access on the edge or through the middle of town, then you just condense by making streets smaller for bikes/walking only.

Just think of how quiet and peaceful a town would be without cars. Pure bliss.

RD said...

Some of my friends of the family live in Germany and commuting is just something you do. When I was kid in Poland I used most of my summers at my grandparents farm bumming round on old russian coaster brake bike... it was probably the best time I ever had ever...
and there was a lot of mushroom hunting.

munsoned said...

Yup. I grew up in a town of 5k people. People left their keys in the ignition of their cars and locking the door to your house was crazy talk. The bike was your ticket to freedom and everyone had one. The highways were, of course, off limits, but anywhere else in town was our domain. You wanted to go watch your older brother play ball - you rode there. You wanted to get to school - you rode there.

In Omaha, people say, "It's not safe on the streets for kids to play." It's not safe because of how "people" drive. And by "people," that includes the ones saying it's not safe.

munsoned said...

Oops, I should have stated, "As children, the bike was our ticket to freedom..."

Grown ups still drove, but it was a small town and no one was in a big hurry. At least not that I could remember. Though I moved from there at the age of 7, so there's that.

Steve said...

There's a followup story.

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/carless-in-america/