HOME | DD
akabeko β Road Traffic in Europe
Published: 2010-09-01 19:51:45 +0000 UTC; Views: 10211; Favourites: 486; Downloads: 63
Redirect to original
Description
Yet another APH sketch, my third in 2 days - this series and its fandom is so inspiring!! Could it be I'm over my Artist's Block?? *_*Anyways, peculiarities I noticed while traveling different European countries!
1) UK and Ireland: Left-hand traffic. As a continental, you'll keep looking in the wrong direction for the first few days and nearly getting run over all the time.
2) The Netherlands, or at least Amsterdam: The European capital of cyclists. Who also nearly run you over all the time.
3) Scandinavia (at least I know for sure about Sweden and Norway): driving at snail's pace on the motorway, and paying astronomical fees if you break the speed limit.
4) France: The kingdom of roundabouts. The simply love'em. And it's true they're quite handy, you can go round and round in circles while you check which one is the correct exit.
5) Germany: as opposed to Scandinavia, there is NO speed limit at all on the motorway! People bomb down on it at 200km/h or more... um, climate protection, anyone?
6) Poland: they never stop to let pedestrians cross the street, not even if there's a pedestrian crossing! Their motto seems to be, "It's like, totally too much trouble to stop."
7) Austria: The kingdom of road signs. We have at least 30 per capita, and many of them redundant, misleading or even contradictory!
8) Southern Europe: "Trafick regulashuns? Wassat? Can you eat it?" I can't even say which country is the worst - maybe Italy, Italians on their little scooters will kill you dead!!
Road traffic is a big adventure all around Europe
Related content
Comments: 161
Yup, just be selective. Btw. it's not just our subjective impression but a proven (by some EU-funded scientific research) fact that Austria has a around 2 million unnecessary road signs - however, until now nobody in this country felt responsible to do something about them. =_=;
π: 0 β©: 1
I guess after a while you start to feel a little affection for all those extra signs, too.
π: 0 β©: 0
Wow! That's hilarious! I'm an American and I went to Spain once, and I learned to be extra careful when crossing the road. They got very angry very quickly at our antics. I got angry, too, at the group I was with because they assumed that pedestrians are treated the same in Spain as the U.S. Not even close! If you're a pedestrian in the U.S, all you have to do is look at the road, and all the cars will stop for you. Pedestrians are treated like kings here!So my group members acted like kings. They almost got ran over. D:
π: 0 β©: 1
Wow, really, in America pedestrains are treated that well? Oh, the jealousy!! In Europe they're like, the very lowest in the food chain XDD
π: 0 β©: 1
Eh, but people who drive cars are sort of hated here! I get angry at our American pedestrians because they feel so entitled! I used to wait for the bus at my college, and there was a crosswalk right next to where I sat. Really, pedestrians don't even look to see if a car is coming because cars will stop if someone looks like they're walking towards the crosswalk. I've seen a line of cars wait five minutes because pedestrians kept walking on the same crosswalk the entire time. The cars didn't even honk! They sat there patiently and waited.
π: 0 β©: 1
Believe me, I'd love it if it was like that here. after all, pedetrians are the most vulnerable party in road traffic, and the ones who get most badly hurt in case of an accident, so I really think it's wonderful American car drivers are so considerate of them.
But you're right, pedestrians should look left and right properly and not just cross the street like chicken XDD
π: 0 β©: 1
Well, truthfully, I can only say this about my corner of the country since I rarely leave here. It might be different in L.A. or N.Y.C. or D.C, but in Seattle, we definitely treat them like royalty.
Yeah, we're really bad about that! I think the thing is that we only do that at crosswalks. If we're jaywalking, we try to look both ways.
π: 0 β©: 0
All of this... is so unbelievable true haha. XD
π: 0 β©: 0
one last thing
draw france in the steve urkel car - its supposed to be a car fro mfrance
π: 0 β©: 1
Well, France's car is a Renault here (ok, it's just a blah car and I stuck the Renault logo to the front)
I also gave Sweden a Volvo, UK a Bentley, and Germany a Mercedes, so they can drive around all patriotically *lol*
Thank you for the feedback!!
π: 0 β©: 0
yay roundabouts are so much fun^^
i can only confirm that we have so many in france XDDD
π: 0 β©: 1
Actually I really think your roundabouts are very useful, and that there are less accidents than on "normal" crossroads.
Anyway, j'
π: 0 β©: 0
oh an my late father had a rolls royce bently
(the flying wings )
but what car is france
this is so cute
π: 0 β©: 0
SO FUNNY!
France keeps going around that bush for some reason
Germany cant wait to get to the zoo i guess (hee he 200 looks like zoo)
so much confusion and road rage
hummm
π: 0 β©: 0
Why atleast Amsterdam?
Whole netherlands is bikeland!
π: 0 β©: 1
"At least" because unfortunately I've only been to Amsterdam so far 
But I'd love to see the rest of the country too, one day~
π: 0 β©: 1
The bikes are everywhere I swear!
And if you want to get rid off your bike.
Just put it outside without a lock on it.
(Bikes are one of the most stolen things in Holland)
You should definintly do that, but don't go to the big city's the villages are much cuter to see~
π: 0 β©: 0
All of this is so accurate XD
Love the Netherlands on the bicycle!
π: 0 β©: 0
pff I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! your drawings are adorable and I love how you parody <333
π: 0 β©: 0
That is so true about France!
I love how you draw them, they're all so cute! <3
π: 0 β©: 0
woooaaah i love it :3 its so cuute ! and i love germany's face XD zoo!
π: 0 β©: 0
So cute. Lol I remember that when I drove through France, so many roundabouts, once there was a random one in the middle of a road with no other exits than forward or back the way you came XD
π: 0 β©: 0
In Costa Rica our roads are like those of Italy, Spain or Greece according to your drawings, add massive holes on them and Poland's habit of not stopping at pedestrian crossings until light is green.
π: 0 β©: 1
OMG, really? And Costa Rican pedestrians still survive??
How do you do it, tell us your secret!! O__O
*lol*
π: 0 β©: 1
lol thankfully cars normally don't go up the sidewalks too... other than that it's pure luck XD
π: 0 β©: 0
In Germany, the only motorway like that is the autobahn.
YAY!! You included Ireland! I believe in Ireland! He's real, I tell you! He's real!
π: 0 β©: 1
"Autobahn" = 'motorway' in German ^^
And how could I ever not include Ireland, I so love this country
π: 0 β©: 1
Oh, ok. I saw one of the other comments that cleared up everything.
π: 0 β©: 0
Both of the Italians have their curl on the same side. Great comic, though.
π: 0 β©: 1
Whoops! Sorry, I'm not good with details like that - I also forgot Austria's mole so... >_<;
Thanks for the feedback, though!
π: 0 β©: 1
You're welcome. Thank you for including Ireland.
π: 0 β©: 0
Italians on Mopeds are awesome -been to italy-
and this is all true
π: 0 β©: 0
it's very cute and quite informative, the italy are driving vespa, so cute ve~
π: 0 β©: 0
Very funny. In Brazil, the roundabouts have too much different names e_e'.
π: 0 β©: 0
Bah Deutschland hat doch einen Vollschaden mit seinen mangelnden Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzungen 0__o
In der Schweiz meckern sie immer von wegen "WAS, nur 120 erlaubt? voll streberhaft, wie kommt ihr ΓΌberhaupt je irgendwo an?".
Wer will denn bitte 300 fahren?
π: 0 β©: 0
It's not possible to have higer speed limits in norway, the roads are narrow even at highway. and it's too many sharp turns because of the mountains :\
π: 0 β©: 0
Oh soo true^^.
By the way I never notice the fact that we don't let people cross maybe because I'm so used to it and it's just normal that you have to wait till there is no cars anymore... I only started notice it now since I've visited UK and was whole time like "are these people nuts why aren't they waiting? OMG, are they suicidal? Oh maybe I should cross ass well... AAA. Oh am I still alive?"
(oh I've never met anyone who have to pay because they don't let somebody pass o_o?)
Btw it's irony I just started taking driving lessons and I stop every time and sometimes even wait for people who are still far from zebra because standing is sooo much less stress-inducting than moving, right?
π: 0 β©: 1
Lol, I understand your feelings, when I was taking my driving lessons, I also used every opportunity to NOT drive XDD
Like this:
Driving teacher: Um... why are you stopping?
Me: There are people wanting to cross the street!
DT: They are still 300m away.
Me: I'll wait for them! I'm a friendly driver!!
DT: ...
But you'll get used to driving, and then it will be really fun~
π: 0 β©: 0
Wt.. It's obvious that pedestrians have to wait for green light XD However, when there's no light, drivers usually let people go..
π: 0 β©: 1
Maybe it's only the case in KrakΓ³w and Warszawa but in my personal experience, car drivers never stop to let you cross the street, even if there is a pedestrain crossing...!
Or maybe it's just me who's unlucky *gg*
π: 0 β©: 1
Ehhh, big cities... XD Or really, you're unlucky. Usually if they're not in hurry, they let people go really often - I even try to thank them with nodding head while passing - and smiling ^^
π: 0 β©: 1
So, bad luck + typical big city rudeness, I guess.
Anyways, in Vienna there of course also are car drivers who ignore pedestrians BUT if a policeman saw them they'd pay a REALLY big fine, so it's probably a bit less common.
Thanks for the feedback, btw! ^^
π: 0 β©: 0
Italy is the worst, every time i am back home from there, I am too scared to cross any street xD And in POland yes, you have to wait for the green light or to make 100% sure there is not car in miles xD
wonderful, I love your chibis and admire research you had to do ^^
π: 0 β©: 1
Naah, it wasn't so much research - I've been to most of these countries at least twice (except for Spain and Greece, only once) so such things stick in your memory - especially if you have been nearly run over by Dutch cyclists or Italian scooter as often as I have XDD
π: 0 β©: 2
yeahh we dutch people are assholes when it comes to cycle XD
π: 0 β©: 0
yeah, I guess so xD
I guess roads are dangerous everywhere somehow. And lol, today the lights on the road next to my house aren't working so I had to wait, like, forever until there was big enough gap between cars to be able to go on the other side - I can't run because of my codition, so I had to wait until there was no car on the road. There was no other way, because no car wanted to stop to let me go xD
And when I was in Italy the only time someone stopped to let me go through zebra was couple of old people: I wonder how hopeless I had to look like to make them pity me xD
π: 0 β©: 1
<= Prev | | Next =>