Originally Posted by Wallaroo

I am sick and tired of cars in the inner parts of our large European cities, they got no business there at all. They take up a lot of space, they pollute, they make a lot of noise, and they are dangerous for pedestrians and bicycles.

Originally Posted by Anselme

Don't know too, maybe we can apply the London model too other cities, but public transport will have to follow to a higher demand...

I remember a few years ago in London, Oxford street is just full of buses and taxis, almost no cars!

Originally Posted by mpd8488

Bike riders are incredibly rude around here and do not obey traffic laws or give pedestrians the right of way. It is one thing to have a car cut you off while driving. At worst you may rear end them and do some damage, but if a bike rider cuts you off and you can't swerve or stop you are going to seriously injure them.

Originally Posted by Malvolio

Well, it's hard to say where to start first. When you are looking for history and museums, the big cities are probably a good start. But you should not neglect the smaller towns. But I guess Munich is a really good start. Berlin obviously offers a lot of history, museums, culture to offer as well ... but apart from that most parts of the city imho are really ugly. But I guess most bigger cities don't look as overseas tourists might expect, as most of them had been totally destroyed in the war.

Originally Posted by CowboyTed

Dublin is a mess. Worst maybe but Brussells, Paris, Mumbai(scary and very bad) are all bad too. Dublin just wasn't ready... I think closing down streets and puting Luas(trams) might be the answer. Also getting the train service up and running properly.. There should be a ship in service to heuston from the west and connelly for the north of the city and use some of the tunnels which already exist under the city.

Originally Posted by O'Sullivan Bere

Hehe..that's true. You see it everyday and I see all the ever growing number of changes by running into a new roundabout or some new clutter every six months or year or so. Last time I was in Galway was passing through/bypassing it last October on the way to Tuam and I didn't get to go down to the town for lack of time. I'll be back in Tuam at the end of this month for a few days following the conclusion of a trial in the Four Courts so I might go to Galway for an evening for the craic with family and friends. Indeed, Galway needs the ring road but they'll get to it given growth and traffic is constantly expanding. Remembering what it was like as a child--all through towns and boreens, etc--is almost ancient history yet only a few short years ago, although at times I do miss certain things...the little things...like always knowing I was on the final stretch to Tuam when turning left and seeing Malachy Hession's in Claregalway, etc. It's still there (soon to be gone by the last look of it), but now cluttered under modern crap in a heavy intersection . . . and of course Kyne's isn't Kyne's anymore, etc. Or seeing Tuam and other places rerouted and modernised. I see Oranmore today, and it is busy and modernised with trendy malls, coffee shops, etc. and I go there to hang with a cousin who just moved into a modern lovely place nearby. Yet, my earliest memories of it were sports pitches and Oranmore Milk being hauled around in the sun on open trucks...jesus I couldn't even imagine that today with the advancements, public expectations, health regulations, lol. I wouldn't trade the success for anything to avoid the dreary alternatives being more or less required to hop the boats and planes to get a chance at life. Still, there were aspects of the old atmosphere too that I miss. The peace, the massive number of old pubs all going away with the changing laws and demographics, etc. Heck, I really miss even the heavy decline of turf and its smell, etc that gets less and less due to regulations, modern homes, etc.

Some things don't change, however, and that is local government. Galway City shines despite it. The Galway City Council is for shite . . . mind-numbingly bad. The water things I heard ... you might as well drink the Corrib.

Dublin is indeed a mess, but I save myself most of the headache by driving near and and then catching the tram in at places like Red Cow, etc. One thing Dublin should keep doing is providing more tram services and putting more parking in the suburbs so people coming in can park and take the trams in.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfas

Well, Paris does in my opinion. Also Munich ist very neat, and of course I must not forget Vienna (At least if you do not mind the achievements of "Red Vienna" sprinkled over the town )

Originally Posted by Malvolio

We were talking about German cities, Slarti. I'm a little surprised that you include Vienna here ... but hey .... Paris? ... come on .... these times are really over.

Originally Posted by Malvolio

We were talking about German cities, Slarti. I'm a little surprised that you include Vienna here ... but hey .... Paris? ... come on .... these times are really over.

Originally Posted by Wallaroo

I personally look at Vienna as a Paris with efficiency politeness and clean streets.

Originally Posted by ThorHammer

I think that Münster (NRW) would be a good city to test this out in. It is a large city, but not too large. Anyways, from what I have seen of it, there is very little traffic congestion to begin with.

Originally Posted by Malvolio

Münster is nice, it's not really a very large city though. But the most remarkable thing about Münster is that it's called "Bicycle-City". 35% of all traffic is done by bicycle.



Rad = bicycle
Kfz = car
ÖPNV = Public Transport
Fussgänger = pedestrians

Originally Posted by Slartibartfas

I know a person that studies there.

And thats where I have the story from where people from the Netherlands stood there in astonishment about how many bikes their are everywhere in Münster. ... people from the Netherlands!