Driving in Bavaria and Austria thoughts.

Gasoline in Fuessen, Germany is $7.21 USD a U.S. Gallon. I paid $2.55 per gallon for unleaded gas today locally which illustrates that fuel in Germany and Austria is heavily taxed. They can afford to have well paved roads and so roads going in every direction because of the heavy taxation.

All of the countries in the European Union have an overabundance of civil servants working for the governments--city and state. They have plenty of people to pick up trash. Citizens in Germany and Austria are impeccably clean too--as can be seen in their public places and hotels.

I went to college in Innsbruck 54 years ago, and still love the Austrian Alps. I find it cheaper and easier to travel through Tirol than the Swiss Alps. And Munich's great airport is just 2 hours away. If you get down to it, they're both the same mountain range.

If you ever want to see the most beautiful place you'll ever see, drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Highway south of Zell-am-See going south to Lienz, Austria. The southern section just above the Italian border is simply breathtaking. It's about the 2nd highest point in Western Europe. See: https://www.grossglockner.at/en

Hi David,

True, gas is very expensive and is most likely why the roads are for the most part like new. Not “fixed, patched”, but like new.

I have to say for myself, last year I spent well over $2,000 in tires, rims and repairs due to hitting potholes here in NJ (on highways) and in PA. In one winter which wasn’t severe!

I’m sure they have more civil servants cleaning, yet I never saw any “crews” cleaning picking up litter and I never saw as much as a tissue by the side of a road or highway.

I have always noticed the areas in front of businesses are swept and cleaned regularly.

They conserve electricity as lights everywhere are motioned detected. Lights are not kept on when not in use by someone.

I also love the Innsbruck area. We just had dinner the other night in Igls.

Sorry to say David, the Grossglockner peak doesn’t even break into the top ten in height.

While I e driven the Grossglockner a few times, you’re doing yourself a great disservice not heading further into Sud Tirol and driving the amazing Dolomite Passes, such as the Gardena, Sella, Giau, etc. All are free to drive, open year round (as weather allows) and every bit as (or even more) spectacular as the Grossglockner Road.

Again, it's a different cultural mindset. The law requires that people who own property, or who live at a location, to keep the sidewalks and roads clear of debris. This includes weeds, leaves, trash, etc. Failure to do so results in fines. But it also pisses off your neighbors, and that's not polite, so you abide by the cultural norm. And, since you know it's your job to pick up around your property, you teach your kids not to make a mess. And you explain to tourists and immigrants that failure to follow the laws can get you kicked out of the country. This could be done in the USA, but, you know, freedom...

Roads are kept repaired because it's expensive to let them decay and then have to replace them. It's much cheaper to fix a problem right away. One thing you'll notice is where they do patch roads the seams of the repair are clean and level (unlike the USA where, for some reason, road crews never learned this skill set.) That's because you don't want to hit a patch that's too high when traveling at 100+ mph. Doing that causes wrecks and isn't good for the vehicle.

Driving in the EU is a privilege. There is no drivers training in school. If you want to drive you have to pass the requisite tests and show a certificate from the training you paid for (which can cost upwards of 5000 euro.) Insurance is expensive, as is fuel. And parking.

But something else you don't see on the roads is cars in need of repair. Cars are inspected every other year to insure they are mechanically up to standard. If your car doesn't pass inspection you don't drive. If you get pulled over, say for a headlight that's out, or a dented fender, you have to show up at the courthouse showing this has been fixed or risk having the car impounded. And you pay a fine.

The land mass of Germany is less than 4% of the USA's land mass.

Not that the Germans don't have great roads. They do. And not that we couldn't do better. But maintaining the German roadways is like keeping up a 400 sq. ft. cabin. Our road system has to serve an 11,000 sq. ft. Hollywood mansion of a country.

Russ, I understand this.

But each state also has taxes for the road maintenance. We pay in our taxes, our gas taxes and our tolls, which are everywhere and not cheap by any means. Here in NJ the tolls are everywhere and constantly go up. I commute 45 miles each way to work and pay $6.60 a day for the tolls on the Garden State Parkway. In Austria I just paid under $10 to drive all highways we used for 10 days. Our roads are deplorable to say it nicely.

I lived in Augsburg, Germany from 87-91 working for the US Army.
We drove all over Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria and more. The fuel was very expensive back then, but it is higher now.

Germany, unlike other countries has no tolls (that I know of), while Italy, France and Spain have very expensive tolls. This is in addition to the huge cost of fuel.

German roads need to be well cared for due to the fact that most of the autobahns have no speed limits. People routinely drive in excess of 160 KPH or 100 MPH. You can't make a mistake or hit a pothole going that fast.

Still, the Germans that we know told us what taxes they pay. Income taxes for middle class earners easily exceed half of their income.

I met a lawyer that worked in Paris, he was an American married to a French lady. He said that once he received his pay, that the taxes, etc. took 70% of his income. He was a high earner.

I think visiting Europe demands a lot of planning. If you are doing it yourself, then plan and plan and plan. Transportation is very important. Rail travel is perfect if you plan to visit major cities like Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, London, Munich, etc. However, if you want to see the countryside, consider a rental car or taking a tour.

Germany, unlike other countries has no tolls (that I know of),

Germany does not apply the tolls to passenger cars. It most definitely does have tolls - on trucks.

As you drive around your will see signs "Maut". That is toll - in German.

I think KGC said it best when talking about the mindset. The general feeling from Europeans is that you are part of a community, ensuring that everyone is taken care of. American are more concerned about their own individual selves.

This was reiterated in an article I read a few months ago by the Pew Research Center that showed the differences between Europeans and Americans. Overall, Americans tend to prioritize individual liberty, while Europeans tend to value the role of the state to ensure no one in society is in need. Nearly six-in-ten in the U.S. (58%) believe allowing everyone to pursue their life’s goals without interference from the state is more important. Majorities in all European nations polled in 2011 said guaranteeing that nobody is in need is more important.

So roads aren't taken care of here in the states like they are in Europe, because it's not considered a priority to make sure that the community as a whole is safe.

Apart from the mentioned reasons traffic volume (and city planning) is an important issue. In Europe we have usually good public transportation options and often safe bike lanes, giving people many options for how to travel. But after WWII city centres in North America were torn down to create a car dependent enviroment where it's often not possible go get around without a car, and even if your destination is within walking distance it might be safe or even possible to walk. So people drive which leads to more traffic and hence more wear and tear on the roads.

In addition, vehicle size is also a factor. North Americans tend to drive huge vehicles which, due to the fourth power law, also cause a lot more wear and tear.

As I remember from a traffic design class in college, highways and bridges don't even "feel" cars. It's those massive 80,000 pound trucks in the US that do the damage. City streets get destroyed from freeze/thaw and then get cheap repairs because of tight budgets. My state has one of the lowest fuel taxes in the US (and farmers pay zero) and people cant seem to make the connection between low taxes and poor service.

Trash is worse than it was a decade ago. My municipality (500,000 population, 320 square miles) has a dumping enforcement team of one person. Priorities.

Paul, I'm with you on road upkeep here. I'd love to see us spend what's needed to build German roads here in CA. Sadly, no one campaigns on that issue or figures out how to fund such an effort. And my state casually gives away gives away its funds to fraudsters... (the fraudulently-issued Covid-era checks totaling $30+ billion, issued by our EDD office, could have laid a lot of asphalt.)

I don't necessarily want to take on the "German mindset" that some have characterized as an effort to "make sure everyone is taken care of." But I do look at transportation, roads and road safety as "shared community territory," one of government's most essential areas of involvement, especially in this country, where driving is usually the only choice. Whatever Germany part of its GDP Germany spends to achieve its road results, we should be spending much more. Our task is larger and our need is greater.

Besides lower gas prices, I think we go with larger cars here because we feel they can take the beating our roads give them. Maybe better-kept roads would produce smaller cars that damage them less....

Stan, most don’t make the connection between low taxes and poor service. I’m kinda in between, as I know higher taxes SHOULD mean better roads, services, yet I’ve never truly seen that take place. The norm as far as I’ve seen is higher taxes for the same or poorer services.

I think we go with the large SUV’s as it’s more for status purposes. I don’t think it has anything to do with our roads. I believe it’s more of a “look at me” thing here. Bigger means better, more successful. To me there’s really no other reason singles and couples “need” 6 to 9 passenger behemoth SUV’s. When the cost of your SUV rivals your mortgage and taxes, ummmmm.

Some car companies don’t even offer cars any longer. Here Ford dropped all but one I believe.

What I did notice on my trip this time was the large amount of “station wagons” on the road, as opposed to every car being a huge SUV. Can’t even remember the last time I saw a “station wagon” here.

Stan, most don’t make the connection between low taxes and poor service. I’m kinda in between, as I know higher taxes SHOULD mean better roads, services, yet I’ve never truly seen that take place. The norm as far as I’ve seen is higher taxes for the same or poorer services.

Paul, that may be true in some states, but not in Minnesota. We pay high taxes here but the benefits ensure a better quality of life for all. Neighborhood parks are found in abundance in the larger cities without regard to the income levels of the residents (in Minneapolis, 98% of residents live with a 10 minute walk from a park). Schools provide free lunch and breakfast for all students, so that no one is stigmatized by being a "free lunch" kid. The state has the best health care system in the country, a great cultural scene, minimum wage is higher than in many states, and there are better benefits for those who are economically depressed.

And that's the end of my PSA. :-) Just saying that it can be done. There are other similar states (Vermont comes to mind) that use their tax dollars to benefit the residents.