Driven to distraction

I've finally gotten a handle on driving here, but I still find it stressful. That may sound strange since the combination of bad roads, bad drivers, and traffic makes DC a miserable place to drive and things here are generally much more civilised. But I've driven for so long at home that I don't have to think very much, whereas here things are just different enough that I'm always having to concentrate. Here are some of the differences:

• Pedestrians. As in California, they have the right of way. Unlike in California, they actually have pedestrians here. The moment someone starts to put their foot in the crosswalk, you have to stop. And they seem to come out of nowhere--I don't know how many times the intersection has finally seemed clear and I've started a cross only to find myself bearing down on a horrified-looking old lady in the crosswalk directly in front of me.


• Cyclists. More of them, and unlike at home, drivers actually respect cyclists here. It's not quite Amsterdam (where bikes seem to outnumber cars by a longshot), but especially around the train station there are always lots of cyclists turning, changing lanes, etc. And if you get stuck behind someone riding their bike uphill, you don't even think about running them off the road. (Anyone who has tried to ride their bike on the streets of the DC area knows how insane the drivers can be in this regard.)


• Intersections. Often nightmarish. Some of the largest intersections in Basel don't have traffic lights, and in addition to cars, you have to deal with trams, pedestrians, and cyclists. Everyone says "just yield to the car on the right", but that's easier said than done when you have a tram bearing down on you, pedestrians crossing in front of you, and cars coming from all directions. We were once driving when Gretchen looked at a map and yelled "WE'RE ALMOST AT AESCHENPLATZ!", which is the worst such intersection, and we immediately pulled over and took back streets home.


• Traffic circles. Lots of them, but a lot easier than I expected.


• Stoplights. Before turning green, lights change to yellow. In theory I think this is supposed to give you time to put your car in gear (or start it up--some people turn their cars off at intersections). In practice it lets you gun it as the light is changing.


• Street width. It's not like an ancient Mediterranean village where the only thing that can get through the street is a scooter, but in general the streets are much narrower. Every time I drive home I feel like I'm going to take off all the mirrors on the parked cars. A couple of streets in our neighborhood only have room for one car to pass at a time. Interestingly, none of this seems to make people drive any slower.


• Speed limits. Not quite the Autobahn, but still much better than at home. I think the speed limit on motorways (freeways) is 120 kilometers per hour, or about 75 mph. Plus, I have yet to see police on the motorways. On the other hand, I've met a lot of people who have been caught by speed cameras on the motorway. Since speed limits aren't very well marked, I fear the Polizei are going to come knocking at my door one of these days with a stack of pictures of me driving 30 kph over the speed limit (and I don't think my lack of language skills would be an admissible excuse).


• Car horns. Never hear them. In DC using the horn was an art form; here I think it's punishable by death (or at least 10 years hard labor).


• Road signs. Often confusing. It's not that they're that hard to figure out, they're just often different from home and a lot smaller. For example, the first time I turned down a street and saw this sign, I thought it meant not to enter (it turns out it means no parking):