[PRCo] Berlin, DE -- Tram Ride

[Fred Schneider]

Es ist Deutschland.   Natürlich.  

You expected otherwise for Germany, Ray?    The European nations also expect you to pay typically about half your income in taxes   But they also have some of the happiest people in the world because wealth doesn't necessarily make people happy.   

Those taxes do things like (1) good roads, (2) good public transportation, (3) free health care for everyone and that results in a longer lifespan than we have, (4) things like a year off with pay for one member of the family to bond with the new baby, (5) free college education if you have the brains to qualify --- and a German bachelor's degree is pretty much equivalent to a US masters + bachelors, (6) a decent retirement.

Since 2000, we have been watching our highways crumble.   Between 2000 and 2010, Germany built 1,300 kilometers of new expressways (that's an 11% increase nationwide).   Read this:   

     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn

Can you imagine, Ray, a state in the USA with over 8000 miles of expressways.  A large state.   Germany is a little larger than New Mexico.  But that is almost three times across the USA in one state.   

But in spite of all those roads, the number number of annual public transport trips per capita in Germany is almost 6 times greater than in the United States.  It Switzerland, it approaches 19 times our numbers.   The lowest in Europe is more than twice us … that's Holland and it's so low because so many people don't use cars or the buses or trains, they bicycle.   

Ray, I remember being with an American buddy in England when he had a stroke and fell on a street in London.   We hauled him into the restaurant behind him.   They must have loved the smell … he also defecated in his pants.   Oh well, the ambulance came and hauled him to the hospital.   A few days later when they felt he was OK to go back to his hotel, he tried to figure out how to pay the nice people at the hospital.   Would they take Visa?   Or an American check?   The answer, "We have National Health Service.   We don't know how to make out a bill.   Now you have a nice day."   He died a few years later but I think he died with warm feelings for the British.   And Germany would be the same.   

And we worry that someone in our country might get something free in our hospitals.   That wouldn't be fair, now would it.   

Sorry guys, I spent too much time in my life observing how some other people do it.    Maybe I came to think they might just have a better idea.    


On Dec 5, 2014, at 7:33 AM, Lattner, Raymond via Pittsburgh-railways wrote:

> Where are the potholes? Wow those roads are in great shape.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pittsburgh-railways [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounces at mailman.dementix.org] On Behalf Of Herb Brannon via Pittsburgh-railways
> Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2014 6:10 PM
> To: Western PA Trolley discussion
> Subject: [PRCo] Berlin, DE -- Tram Ride
> 
> If you like German tram/trolley systems then take a look at this video. It is best viewed in "full screen" mode.
> 
> I was not aware that Berlin had such an extensive tram system. There are several different types of trams in operation. The system seems extremely well maintained.
> 
> Take note of the tram signal system and watch how it is coordinated with the motor vehicle traffic signals. The tram signals are very easy to figure out just by watching what happens at car stops and intersections. Note also the very fast, very smooth and very quiet operation of the system. This video is of Line 63. Check out some of the other lines on the YouTube page.
> 
> Berlin Tram Line 63 <http://youtu.be/pRJ4-4Lvpag>
> 
> --
> *Herb Brannon*
> 
> *In Pittsburgh...........A City and*
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