There are an incredible number of signs for drivers in Germany. If you add up all the traffic, danger, regulation and direction signs, you get about 680 different ones. It is questionable whether anyone has really counted the total number of signs on the streets and paths. The figure of 20 million is mentioned again and again, not counting the 3.5 million signposts. Too many, say most drivers. A study by the expert organization Dekra once showed that 85 percent of those surveyed would like fewer signs. Almost half found that the traffic signs were often misleading or contradictory. What they didn’t know: you just don’t recognize some of the meaning right away.
Maybe that 50 percent is just a cheap excuse for wrong parking or speeding. Let’s take the 30 km/h zones. These are now in most residential areas in the district. Driving license holders know: The white round sign with the red border and the black 30 is not a recommendation, but a clear announcement. Still, many don’t stick to it because they think 50 kilometers an hour is slow enough. This annoys those who live there. At town meetings, you can bet that speed offenders are an issue. “They race down our street” and “no one sticks to 30 km/h there,” are the complaints, combined with the request that the mayor should do something about it. In recent years, many municipalities have put up more and more 30 km/h signs to ensure safety in front of schools and kindergartens or noise protection at night. In order for this to work, the administration usually relies on speed display boards. If you drive slowly, you get a green smiley, speeders are punished with an evil look from the red emoji. Flashing is rare.
Two is better than one: the double speed limit on state road 2344 in Neuried.
(Photo: private)
In Neuried, people have long since recognized that such gimmicks don’t slow anyone down who likes to step on the gas. On state road 2344, people should not drive faster than 30 from Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the signs leave no doubt about that. A few meters behind this speed limit, the clever people from Würmtal have now put up another 30 sign, this time with the additional danger sign number 112. This shows two black waves on a white background. A clear warning: watch out, things are getting bumpy! The sign stands for or better in front of potholes, bumps, gullies or even rails. It is better not to try whether they really exist and whether they always disappear after work or at the weekend.