It's always nice to be reminded that one is sane in practice, not just in theory. I'm in Germany for the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting and some related meetings, and, surprise of surprises:
-Road signs show up just fine and pedestrians show up better, even with the European headlamps US regulators reject as dangerously inadequate.
-The European brake lamps and turn signals US regulators also decry as dangerously inadequate likewise are just fine in conditions ranging from dark to rainy to sunny, and there's no quick guessing game needed when a red light flashes on in front of you, for it's *always* a brake light.
-The air in heavy-traffic city areas is considerably cleaner (going by nose alone) than in comparably traffic-dense areas of e.g. Toronto, despite the high prevalence of diesel vehicles and the lack of US "toughest in the world" emission standards. There is no diesel stink, even as one walks past rows upon rows of idling and accelerating diesel taxicabs. Clean diesel technology in the fuel and in the engines obviously works.
-German city traffic is quite a bit quieter than North American, as it seems... yet another American heavy vehicle industry "can't be done" argument goes ker-flush, at least in theory.
-And speaking of "nothing can be done about it", Frankfurt has streetcars that make absolutely none of that godawful screeching-scraping racket encountered in virtually all streetcars in North America. I note with amusement that these screech-free streetcars are made in Canada by plantardier.
DS
