In honor of the Blitzmarathon tomorrow...

Rheinland-Pfalz, the German state where I live, is conducting a Blitzmarathon tomorrow. No, it's not a lightning race; it's a speed camera day where police plan to set up almost 300 cameras. It's intended to reduce speeding and increase awareness (as well as increase the coffers of the state, I'm sure!).

In honor of the marathon, I am posting this photo of a sticker I saw on a car.

The left side states "Polizeikontrollen" and the right side has a picture of a traffic camera.

Frauenparkplatz: parking spots reserved for women

In some parking lots, one might see parking spots with a sign marked with the symbol for women. These are parking spots reserved for women. They are closer to the entrance of the building or are near the security booth. They are meant as a safer parking option for women, especially in parking garages. They are also for women with children so they don't have to schlep them so far.

In Kaiserslautern, I have seen them at the Pfalz Center, which is the shopping center on the east side of town.

Driving in Germany: waiting at the red light

There's something that I like about the way they do traffic lights here: when the light is about to change from red to green, the yellow light will flash to alert drivers of the change.

Driving in Germany: turning right on red

When driving in Germany, one is usually prohibited from turning right at a red light unless there is a green arrow mounted on the side of the light (this arrow isn't lit).

Driving in Germany: Straßenschäden!

This is a sign that one might encounter on German roads. Straßenschäden means road damage. Keep in mind that speed limits might be lowered in zones like this. For this case, the limit was lowered as evidenced by the 30 zone sign above it.

In the midwestern state of my origin, we call  Straßenschäden: how our roads always are.

Driving in Germany: dealing with Monsters on the road - I mean priority roads

Looks a bit like Domo, doesn't it? This sign is faded; the outline is usually red.

When driving in Germany, one sees this sign often. This is an important sign to watch for and to understand: it indicates that the road one is on is a priority road. In Germany, unless otherwise posted, drivers entering from the right take priority (unless they have yield or stop signs, or signs that indicate that they are not on a priority road; definitely study this further in depth before driving!).

Driving in Germany: around and around the roundabout we go!

The roundabout: helping traffic flow. Too bad it's tiny in this picture!

 
In Germany, it's not uncommon to come across traffic circles, or roundabouts, in one's car journeys. They work reasonably well to help keep up the flow of traffic.

There are a few important things to know about them:

-often there will be a yield sign for the traffic about to enter the roundabout, BUT if there is no yield sign, that means that the traffic already inside the roundabout must yield to the incoming traffic. Duh, but this is something important to remember.

-do not use your turn signal when entering the roundabout. It's quite obvious that you are going to enter the roundabout. However, DO use your turn signal when you are EXITING the roundabout.

-some (hellacious) roundabouts even have a center where streetcars will cross. Look for yield signs inside the circle; you might have to yield to oncoming streetcars that cut across the roundabout. This is part of the reason that I don't enjoy driving in the bigger cities. It can feel like (organized) chaos sometimes.

-of course, always do your own research to keep up on German driving laws and don't just rely on what Around the Wherever has written.

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I have really come to like the roundabouts. I love that there is no full stop required when approaching it (well, unless there is other traffic in it already and I have the yield sign). Of course, I'm spoiled in that most of the roundabouts I'm using are in less populated areas so I'm usually the only one entering. The roundabout near Globus on the east side of Kaisersautern/by Opel is sometimes nicht so gut because it can be filled with traffic. However, for the most part, the roundabouts really keep traffic flowing.

Radios and der Stau

Driving along during rush hour, I often hear about a Stau somewhere on the radio. A Stau is a traffic jam. The radio announcements are especially handy because they indicate how long the Stau is in kilometers.

Der Stau makes SuperMoo ANGRY. Rorr!!