Town Gets Rid of Traffic Lights to Improve Traffic Safety

by Catherine Bodry on

I live in a tiny no-stoplight town on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The last time I was in Anchorage, Alaska (a town with hundreds of stoplights), I actually drove right through a red light, lost in my own oblivion. Now that I’m used to no stoplights, I find that driving in cities with them makes me crabby and impatient. I want to get where I’m going — and where I live now I don’t have to drive any more than 6 miles to do that.

The people in charge in Bohmte, Germany, think it might be a good idea to try the no-stoplight life as well. On September 12, all traffic controls disappeared from the center of the town, which sees about 13,500 cars a day. The idea was developed by Dutch traffic specialist Hans Monderman to try to reduce accidents and make life easier for pedestrians. Already, Monderman’s ideas have been implemented in the town of Drachten in the Netherlands, where all stop lights, traffic signs, pavements, and street markings have gone. Accidents in Drachten have been reduced significantly.

Half of the1.2 million euro cost of removing the lights in Bohmte will be covered by the European Union, which supports the endeavor.

[via Reuters]

How to Eat Weisswurst in Munich

by Justin Glow on

“It’s hard to find a restaurant in the German city that doesn’t serve weisswurst,” writes Chris Gray, a freelance writer living in Heidelberg, Germany, for World Hum. “But it’s said that the white sausages should never hear the noon church bells.”

If you’re heading to Munich for this year’s Oktoberfest, there should be no escaping the traditional Bavarian breakfast of weisswurst. But there are rules to follow — traditions to be aware of — before you can dip a cut off of the albino veal sausage into a pool of sweet Bavarian mustard.

You can never be too prepared.

On where to go: “Once you find the right restaurant, seek out the table with a centerpiece that looks like a huge cast-iron ashtray and is labeled “Stammtisch.” Never sit there. Grab the table nearest to it, however. In Germany, a restaurant’s stammtisch is reserved for the regulars, and it’s where all the action is.”

On eating technique: “Now comes the tricky part. Weisswuerste are eaten peeled, and while the traditional technique is to snip open the ends and suck out the meat, you’re best off using your silverware.”

On recognizing a good sausage: “When you cut open a weisswurst, it should smell fresh, and the filling should swell out the ends-proof that the meat is of a high -quality and has been properly cooked.”

Head over to World Hum for the full low-down on properly savoring Munich’s whitest sausage.

%Gallery-7107%

Video: Carnival Rides at Oktoberfest’s Funfair

by Justin Glow on


If you wander just outside of the massive beer tents during Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, you’ll find the funfair. What’s cool about the funfair is all the crazy-looking carnival rides they have. In the United States, carnival rides are usually rusty death traps operated by drunk amputees, but the rides in the video above look absolutely amazing. Not only do they look safe, but I’ve never seen many of them before — they even have full size roller coasters. At a carnival! The coolest ride is at 01:26 (remaining) — the giant flipping, spinning, flower-like thing that dangles riders and shakes them about.

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany runs from September 22, until October 7.

%Gallery-7103%

How Much Would You Pay for a Pair of Lederhosen?

by Martha Edwards on

A new world record has been broken recently — most expensive pair of Lederhosen. A version of the traditional alpine outfit recently sold for 85,000 euros, which is $115,000. Lederhosen, which are traditionally made from the hide of an animal — typically a goat, pig or elk — is strangely enduring fashion trend in the Alps. This particular pair is adorned with 116 diamonds, each set in gold. Doesn’t that seem a bit … I dunno … excessive?

onsidered to be to the Alps what the kilt is to Scotland (according to the Lederhosen entry on Wikipedia), the leather knee-length shorts-and-suspender-combo can be worn while hiking outside, pounding back a few at Oktoberfest, or anywhere else, I suppose. Still, I don’t think I’ll be picking up a pair any time soon — and certainly not at that exorbitant price.

Don’t stop here — Gadling has a ton more Oktoberfest 2007 coverage!

%Gallery-7103%

Photo of the Day (9/1/07)

by Justin Glow on

This shot was uploaded to the Gadling Flickr pool by Luminous Lens over a year ago, but I stumbled across it randomly while browsing through the collection of impressive photos our readers have submitted over time. This one was taken in Berlin, Germany during the Brazil vs. Croatia 2006 World Cup game. Down 1-0 and only a minute left, the Croatian fans lit flares and stormed the field in protest.

If you’d like to contribute a Photo of the Day shot for consideration, please visit our Gadling Flickr pool and upload your favorites.