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Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region

By Bruce Hauben, Bruce993@PorscheNet.com
NOR'EASTER Online - October 2001

Regular readers of this column may recall my failed attempts whenever I return home from a slower paced environment to change my driving habits. To be more patient with incompetent drivers who don't know how to merge, road hogs who insist upon using the passing lane to drive at the speed limit or below, drivers who refuse to turn right on red, or left on red when it's a one way street in that direction. Yes, MA motor vehicle laws allow it.

Well, we've finally returned from a trip where the driving conditions were worse than MA. The conditions were worse but the drivers were quite able to handle the situations. But first let me relate some observations gleaned from our stopover city.

Joyce and I were in the Netherlands several years ago and had a great time driving around the countryside. Last month we revisited Amsterdam for several days on our way to Nairobi and walked and walked and walked when we weren't on a canal boat. Pedestrians beware! Here in the USA we only have to look left and right for oncoming cars and trucks and the occasional bus in the cities. (Don't let me get started on pedestrian right of way versus the automobile; that's another entire column.) In Amsterdam there are more bicycles (with their own lanes a la Cambridge) than cars and more pedestrians than bicycles, plus more trolleys than you can imagine. Now, try crossing a Lime Rock Big Bend intersection, with five streets leading in and out, bicycle lanes on every street with bicycles and their bells that are used and heeded, several trolley tracks and different lights for the trolleys and cars and bicycles. It took a while but we finally got the hang of it.

I get a kick from watching the people on their bikes. Businessmen commute in their suits with brief cases, parents pedal their kids to school in seats mounted on the handlebars and infants are transported in their bassinets, in oversized milk crates mounted on the fenders. Actually those milk crates more often held a dog or cat. And when a bicycle isn't enough, we're all aware of the superior public transportation throughout Europe. We took a taxi from Schipol Airport to our hotel and spent $50US. When we left Amsterdam we walked (with roller luggage) to Central Station and took a train - they run every 20 minutes - to Schipol for $9US.

Yes, we saw as many 911s and Boxsters in Amsterdam as we do in Boston but there were many, many more two seater "sedans". Picture a VW Beetle shortened to exclude the rear seat area. Another ramification of Europe's knowing how to live comfortably with less. They do a wonderful job ergonomically and design wise in living with and in a very limited geographic space.

Nairobi was an entirely different story. Our only prior exposures to third world cultures were Mexico and various Caribbean Islands; Kenya made them look like Paradise. While the city of Nairobi covered many square miles, there is a residential section with homes equal to Weston or Boxford - though behind fenced and walled enclosures with guards - once one leaves a six block downtown area the sidewalks become dusty, dirt paths.

Driving in Nairobi reminded me of the start of a PCA Club Race. Picture several lanes of heavy traffic, everyone trying to be the first to the next roundabout. In the middle of this melee are several mini-buses (the size of a small airport van) absolutely packed to the gills with people, many rear ends and legs hanging out from doors on both sides. That is the extent of their public transportation, everyone walks. As to bicycles, they were as rare as an honest Kenyan politician.

Considering the mess, there were very few accidents. More common were the disabled vehicles along the roads. As with any locale, the drivers are well acclimated to their particular situation. Kenya has a 50% unemployment rate and 10% of the population control 50% of the country's wealth. This was very evident throughout the country.

An interesting anecdote to this trip occurred on the KLM flight between Amsterdam and Nairobi. The cockpit door was wide open and I spent much of the flight in the third seat talking with the crew about sailing and auto racing as the pilot did both when not flying. I'll bet that open door policy was immediately changed on 9.11.01.

Reasons Why the English Language is so Hard to Learn!

The bandage was wound around the wound.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The dump was so full it had to refuse the refuse.
The farm was used to produce produce.
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Why doesn't Buick rhyme with quick?
Why do we have noses that run and feet that smell?
Why do we recite at a play but play at a recital?

Porsche Club of America The Northeast Region

Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region