Having lived in Germany for about a year and now preparing to move away, I’ve been contemplating the things I am going to miss about the Fatherland. Grocery stores being closed on Sundays doesn’t make the list, although I do like the general cultural attitude towards having at least one day a week be spent at a more relaxed pace. What might be at the top of my list is the array of options I have here for transportation.
So before I leave, I think it is time that I get on my high horse and admonish the stereotypical US attitude and culture towards driving and car ownership. But not strictly for the usual financial, environmental, or health reasons, which are plentiful and very valid. No- what I noticed the most about being car-free here is the increased human element when traveling by bike, foot, or tram in my day to day commutes.
No Car, No Problem
It isn’t hard to figure out why vehicle-less commuting has advantages. Parking is something I never have to worry about. As long as there is a sufficiently tall enough post in the ground near my destination, I can leave my bike almost anywhere. The journeys themselves are more enjoyable. Biking on a dedicated, separate path, often through parks, beats operating a vehicle in a city any day of the week. Driving can be great, but how many of our daily commutes offer a scenic route? Oftentimes it feels more like a chore, something to get through to start the day. Twenty minutes by car in comparison to biking or walking- it’s dreary.
Riding for that long on public transport isn’t necessarily a joy, but at least you can do other things in the meantime (like read a good book). You only need enough wherewithal to listen to which stop you’re at, otherwise you can occupy yourself with anything else. Despite the occasional discomfort of taking public transport, being driven around is a bit of a luxury in itself.
Disadvantages of Being Behind the Wheel
Do I miss driving? Sure, sometimes. Being on the Autobahn especially is an exhilarating experience. But it also requires an extreme amount of attention and awareness. Putting oneself through that daily is taxing. It is no small mental task to make decisions and avoid other two ton metal boxes (which is the average weight of vehicles on the road in the US) at 70 miles an hour. Our visual systems didn’t evolve to perceive things well when traveling that quickly. Meanwhile, a walk to work, even a bike ride, slows everything down tremendously. I can go only as fast as my body can take me, something we are evolved quite well to do. It doesn’t take any extra mental calculation. It has been proven that walking, especially in nature, induces calming effects on the mind.
As if traversing multi-lane highways and stroads in a two ton metal box around other two ton metal boxes (and often vehicles that are much, much larger- thanks Jones Act) wasn’t stressful enough, combine the physical reality of driving with the fact that, for a lot of people, their vehicles are the second most expensive thing they own. The average monthly payment for a new car in the US is now north of $700, plus insurance, plus gas, plus inspection, plus maintenance, plus, plus, plus; all of which is being invested into a depreciating asset. This won’t turn into a breakdown of the cost of vehicle ownership, but we are all aware of the financial pressure owning a car causes. We not only have to rely on strangers for our physical safety, but for our financial well-being too.
Any slip-up while driving can have outsized consequences compared to walking or biking. Those stresses are real and a lot to subject oneself to on a daily basis.
Driving also robs us of the aspect of non-vehicle commuting I’ve been most impressed by- the greater humanity experienced.
First Encounters
Shortly after moving here, I was running late for work. The tram I take goes directly in front of my house. My stop is across the street and about 100 yards away. As I was shutting my front door, double checking it was locked, the streetcar whirred past, so I broke out into a sprint to catch it. To my great fortune a young woman already waiting at the stop happened to see me. She stood in the door to keep it from automatically shutting, which gave me time to get on.
Without her I would have missed it and needed to wait another 10 minutes for the next one, which would have taken me from being a little late to very late. We both got on, her seat facing the back towards me, and we shared a look and a slight nod. I might have mouthed a “DANKE” to her, but not a word was spoken. She had saved me from making a bad impression on my new bosses.
With Others, but All Alone
In the US, even in many cities, you get in your car in your driveway or garage, you put on music or podcasts you want to hear, and you pull out onto the road, completely isolated from everyone else you encounter until you reach your destination. They aren’t people. They are just another metal box that is an obstacle to get around or avoid crashing into or get mad at for driving too slow or driving too fast or cutting you off or THE LIGHT’S GREEN LET’S GET A MOVE ON I’M LATE. And the only method of communication? A monotone horn. Unless you’re a real lunatic that will pull up next to someone to roll your window down and scream. Even then that’s shouting at someone 10 feet away through a window. Not exactly what I would call a personal interaction.
Reading facial expressions gives such a huge insight into a person’s mood and intentions. That was one of the major downsides of mask mandates during COVID- you couldn’t see what people were feeling. Cars also don’t afford this opportunity. You don’t ever really see anyone’s face to get a feel for them. They’re gone in a flash and normally behind sunglasses, tinted windows, or a lowered sun shade.
I like being alone. I really enjoy having time to myself, sometimes to my own detriment. But here in Germany, albeit in a city, there is such a stark contrast between how much more time I have to spend time with other people as compared to the States. I didn’t notice this difference until after living here for almost a month. I lived downtown in a decent sized city in the US, and I never saw so many people out and about when I was walking to work as I see on my small street here in Germany. The number of human faces I have to look at and interact with, even if for just a split second, is orders of magnitude greater than before.
Finding, and Practicing, the Connection
“Are you trying to get that seat on the train? Should I go left or right to get around you? Do you need to get off at this stop?” are questions I am asking myself of people, not vehicles. That person is walking slow? I don’t just slightly flex my ankle to press a pedal and get around them; I have to engage my whole body. And every sidewalk is a passing zone. You’re never “stuck” behind anyone. When you are slowed down, it’s behind a person with whom you can talk, not an SUV going 15 in a 30 with a busted turn signal. You have to weave around an elderly person walking their dog and a couple on a walk, not Honda Civics and Chevy Tahoes.
Ultimately I think this is a much healthier way of being around other people. It creates a sense of community in a way car traffic cannot. Having to apologize for almost bumping into someone, giving up your seat for a mother with her infant on the tram, holding a train door for someone running to catch it- barely a word exchanged in any of these interactions, but they are all human, and generally much clearer than blaring a horn.
I’m not one against the world, trying to navigate very strict pathways so that I get exactly where I want to go as quickly as I feel like I should get there. We’re all trying to catch the train and be as comfortable as we can be while riding it, we’re all trying to share a sidewalk and bike lane. Some people are just out for a stroll or ride, others exercising, others yet on their commute to somewhere important.
The how and why doesn’t matter, it’s that we all have to interact with other humans as humans, not with machines from another machine.
All Arguments Aside, It’s Just Nice
It’s just nice to see other people when commuting. There are certainly some people I would be fine with not seeing (or smelling) while taking a train to work, and while biking it would be nice to have some more shelter from the elements in northern Germany, but however brief and superficial it is, there is a sense of connection felt when traveling here that I don’t get in a car, or even when I commuted by bike or foot in the US. Learning to work in another language was one thing; learning to journey daily with other people was an endeavor I had not anticipated, nor something in which I expected to find joy.
I encourage you on your next drive to work to really pay attention to how few people you see, especially compared to the number of cars you have to maneuver around. And the next time you are around other people, be it at a sporting event, concert, or mall (are there still malls with lots of people at them?), notice how much differently you feel when walking around them. The closer distance, the weaving in and around groups of varying sizes, how much you have to vary your speed; all of it so much different than driving. All of it much more human.
