Thursday, January 2, 2014

Tempo and Frankfurt?

Generally, if you are in any major city of Germany.....then the regular speed limit is 50 kph....day or night.  Congested side-street?  Usually, it's 30 kph....day or night.

Here in 2014, there's a change coming.  In Frankfurt, they are experimenting with the idea of reducing night-time speed to 30 kph on most of the major avenues (maybe not all, but a great number).

The driving cause?  Folks believe, with some science behind it, that this will reduce noise through Frankfurt.

Acceptable?  Well....that's another thing.

The locals all support the idea because lack of noise is now one of those factors for a happy life.....Germans will tell you this.  Other folks will be fairly grumpy about this....and likely speed to some degree....finding blitz-cameras in ample enforcement.

Thirty kph is roughly eighteen miles per hour.  In the US....this would be regarded as awful slow, in any urban area.  What used to take twelve minutes to get from one end of town to the other.....probably now takes sixteen to eighteen minutes.  Just one of dozens of new laws and angles to worry about in 2014.  

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