things germans do, episode 1: die Fahrräder

Germans do bikes.  A lot.  Everywhere.  Or at least Tübingen Germans do, although I'm sure it's like this in a lot of places.  In front of the doctor's office, for example, you see where the patients have all tied up their horses--oh, I mean bikes--before moseying in for their check-up:

Giddyap, German pony!

Keep in mind this is the clinic, so I assume all of these people believe there might be something wrong with them.  And yet the bicycle is their conveyance to the cure.

But that's not all.  Apparently, even if you're leaving town, your bike is the way to go.  Behold the German equivalent of the airport parking lot (with free parking!):

You might not have guessed it, but this is the inter-city train station, where we first arrived.  I was struck by the mass of bikes left here, probably not just for day trips but for extended periods as well.  There have got to be multiple hundreds of bikes here, and no one needs to tend them.  It seems a little bold to me, leaving your bike out like that, but maybe with so many bikes around, even the thieves already have one.  That would explain why people don't always lock their bikes when they go into a store:

This is the clothing store made famous by Catherine's cheeky mannequin.  It's pretty expensive (even with 20% off) so my alternative explanation is that these folks are rich enough to have bicycle insurance.  They half hope their old bike gets stolen so they can use the insurance to buy a new one.

In America, we worry about the effect of the price of oil on our faltering economy.  In Germany, I think I would worry more about the price of rubber, given how many people are parked in front of this mini mall:

Not pictured because the photographer was a little too embarrassed to be taking photos of other people's stuff to get the whole shot: the identical row of bikes just to his left.  It might help if you put this picture up to a mirror.

There has to be something about living in Germany that makes bikes seem a far more attractive commuting option than in the states.  I'm sure someone's done a study on it, but here are a few thoughts as to why.

1.  Gas is taxed at a much higher rate in Germany, so it doesn't make sense to drive your car around unless you have to.  Wikipedia says that as of March 2009, the tax was about $6.28/gallon on normal unleaded gasoline!  Europe has strict standards on diesel, which burns slower and can be processed to emit less particles, and so the tax is a little lower for cars that run on diesel (both of which regulations sound like a very good idea which I can't understand why we haven't adopted.)  Imagine your gas being more than $6.00 a gallon more!  You'd ride your bike too...

2.  Tübingen prides itself on being a "green city," and actually has higher standards for emissions in the city than in most places.  (You know how each State has its own rules about emissions?  My mechanic friend Martin tells me that in Germany and I think all of the EU cities are the ones who decide about emissions!)  So to buy a car you can legally park in Tübingen, it has to be nicer.  So if I'm a parent or someone just starting out on my own, it might be a little harder to find a suitable car.

3.  Tübingen is a college town.  (It's official name appears to be literally "Universitätstadt Tübingen," where "stadt" means city.)  College students are cheap as a rule (even if you have NO TUITION) and biking is a nice way to get around with low maintenance costs.

4.  The streets are made for bikes.  Seriously, take one look at these medieval streets and it suddenly makes total sense why European cars are tiny:

This is a typical two-way street in our part of town.  Notice how it's only as wide as the parking lane.  Note also the bicyclist.  I rest my case.

Imagine trying to drive a Hummer down that!  An off-shoot of living in a very old city is that it's designed to be accessible by foot or by cart, not by car.  So instead of suburbs connected to businesses by a highway, we have it all together in a small radius.  You don't have to pedal all that far to get where you're going.  Additionally, the major streets have clearly delineated bike lanes everywhere, easing traffic congestion and car-bike antagonism.

You just stay on your side of the line and I'll stay on mine and nobody will get hurt.

5.  The weather's pretty nice most of the time.  According to all the weather charts I can find, it tends to dip under freezing for about a month, meaning ice isn't really an issue for most of the year.  (Cold water, though, that's another story.)  I suppose you can learn to ride your bike in winter just like you can learn to drive, but the American in me asks why...

6.  They care more as a society about global warming.  A lot of these things really come back to that, particularly the regulations.  Funny how something as abstract as that seems to pop up in the way that people really live.

All hail the mighty bicycle!  You provide joy and transportation to millions of Germans without directly affecting the atmosphere!  Let us make art to your name!

I just don't feel like I'm getting anywhere when I ride this bike...