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I lived in Germany for a long time, and have actually been called out by a kid in a stroller who disapproved of my jaywalking (Rotgänger!). But my favorite sto

I lived in Germany for a long time, and have actually been called out by a kid in a stroller who disapproved of my jaywalking (Rotgänger!). But my favorite story comes from a friend, an American who lived in Germany in the 90s. To paraphrase: A firetruck is in front of an apartment building where, evidently, there had been a small fire. The scene is basically calm now, the situation dealt with, and several of the firemen are waiting to climb back into the truck and leave. But a firehose still runs from the truck, across a bike lane, over the sidewalk and into the building. As my friend walks by, she hears crazy, incessant ringing. Turns out it's a man, on a bike, irate that the bike lane is blocked, demanding that his path be cleared. What gets me about that story isn't that the man is batty, not at all. In fact it reminds me of lots of similar experiences I had in Germany where someone's iron-clad, inflexible attachment to rules and order created a totally absurd situation.

darklajid 14y ago
(German here) Actually I don't care about traffic lights all that much while walking/on a bike. Except, you know, if kids are around. The attitude I see here is that you really don't stop 'for the sake of it', but (and isn't this, if we want to talk stereotypes, kind of american) you .. think of the childen. In all seriousness: You _will_ get nasty looks/comments if you're ignoring a red light while small kids are watching and the scenario you described sounds perfectly fine (and my moral compass says that you did something baaad too).
- bracki 14y ago
  The rhyme goes like this: Rotgänger, Totgänger! Grüngänger leben länger! Roughly translates to: Jaywalker, Deathwalker! Greenwalkers live longer!
- crucialfelix 14y ago
  And seriously, keep out of the bike lanes ! We are not going to slow down just because there are drunk tourists standing oblivious in the bike lane. It's just common sense.
- subpixel 14y ago
  It's sort of a grass-is-greener thing to me. I'd be the last one to suggest that the American approach to jaywalking ('just do it') is a good idea. Especially in NYC, ugh.

darklajid 14y ago

(German here) Actually I don't care about traffic lights all that much while walking/on a bike. Except, you know, if kids are around. The attitude I see here is that you really don't stop 'for the sake of it', but (and isn't this, if we want to talk stereotypes, kind of american) you .. think of the childen. In all seriousness: You _will_ get nasty looks/comments if you're ignoring a red light while small kids are watching and the scenario you described sounds perfectly fine (and my moral compass says that you did something baaad too).

bracki 14y ago
The rhyme goes like this: Rotgänger, Totgänger! Grüngänger leben länger! Roughly translates to: Jaywalker, Deathwalker! Greenwalkers live longer!
crucialfelix 14y ago
And seriously, keep out of the bike lanes ! We are not going to slow down just because there are drunk tourists standing oblivious in the bike lane. It's just common sense.
subpixel 14y ago
It's sort of a grass-is-greener thing to me. I'd be the last one to suggest that the American approach to jaywalking ('just do it') is a good idea. Especially in NYC, ugh.