Lars: On Thursday, we drove to Auckland, from some place on the coast that I can't remember. The Pacific is pretty, and the coast is gorgeous, but names elude me.
Auckland traffic is unpleasant. People anywhere in this country do not seem to keep a safe distance from the car ahead, but it was much worse in Auckland, probably because there's so much more traffic here than elsewhere.
If I try to keep a safe distance (at least a hundred meters when driving at 100 km/h), it is an invitation for up to three cars to get into the empty space.
Above is a rare moment of empty space in front of our car. Note the right lane, which fits four cars in where we have two. We're all driving at a hundred kilometers an hour.
When someone needs to suddenly break, they get rear-ended. This happened on the right lane. The car to our right had to stop, and the car after them didn't. I did not stop to see what happened (I'm fond of having an intact rear, thank you), but both drivers seemed able to park their cars on the side of the lane, so I assume nobody was hurt.
Other things this country needs:
- luminous badges on pedestrians at dark ("heijastin" in Finnish), so they're visible to drivers at a distance; the current situation likely leads to unpleasant bumps on the road
- road and street name signs with a font readable to drivers, not just pedestrians; having street names in every direction in every street corner would also help
- clearly labeled house numbers
- a general agreement that if a tight corner on a twisty mountain road has been determined to be safe for one car at a time per direction, at 25 km/h, then having a speed limit of 100 km/h and not forbidding overtaking leads to situations where everyone drives at speeds in excess of 100 km/h, someone is overtaking on each lane, and further that this is a bad thing
- safety campaigns against driver distractions not based on getting drivers to read even more signs while driving at maximum speed
I still maintain that driving in New Zealand is interesting, even fun. I suspect Auckland might not actually be part of New Zealand.
Heh, funny about reflectors (heijastin), a friend in Boston bought a big lump of reflector canvas to make neighbourhood kids more visible. My random recollections on what other stuff to export from Finland: * central heating, especially using combination power plants to provide heat and hot water * proper insulation, for noice and warmth * the drying cupboard (smaller is enough nowadays with the era of the dishwasher) * no carpets in bathrooms * proper plumbing * cheese slicer