Wasn't it just being polite?

That's a possible interpretation as well. But having travelled extensively (and I'm not the rule breaker in most cases), there are very very different approaches to rules and laws even within Europe.

There is a section of Europe where following the rules is what you do (to be clear it's not just Germany[0]). It's assumed that you're going to follow the rules. Adults don't need to be policed in this way. The rules are there for a reason (second order thinking).

Then there are large parts of Europe where there are rules but if they're not enforced then people will by and large not obey them. See, for example, the UK putting in smart motorways (aka, average speed cameras), because before that people would fly up the motor way well above the speed limit.

The Autobahn might have areas with no speed limit, but on the sections that HAVE speed limits you'd be hard pressed to find someone breaking those limits.

I grew up in Australia where it's somewhere between the two. The enforcement of the rules is strict. I once got a jaywalking ticket for crossing an empty road in Melbourne (long story, but it's also one of my stupider moments because it wasn't like the police were behind a bush, they hopped off the same tram I did).

I haven't had a speeding or parking ticket since I left Australia.

Though, circling back to my Stuttgart story, if someone approached you about rule breaking in Australia you can almost guarantee that you'd have pissed them off to the point it would not have been polite. In Paris, as well, I have been yelled at (in French) for dog poop on a sidewalk that wasn't even my dogs -- yes, I do always pick up after my dog.

[0]: Even within Germany I'm sure there are variations on this.

In the Netherlands, when riding a bicycle, most people treat most traffic rules as suggestions. Interesting context to explain what's happening.

This is made possible by the fact that cars (try to) follow traffic rules to the letter.

(Essentially every car driver in the Netherlands is also a cyclist at other times)

There is a logic to it though. On a bicycle you are mostly risking your own life, so you are likely to make good judgements about when you can break the rules. In a car, you are mostly riding other people’s lives (bicyclists and pedestrians). Different incentives.

Ah yes, I think that's a realy common behaviour. In fact, I got hit by a cyclist on an e-bike in London running a red light.

The fact that you’re here to tell is a clear sign that the impact isn’t so high as if it were a car.

Morons exist :-(

Yeah, managed to have stitches in the back of my head, but I'll not argue that I'd rather be hit by a bike than a car. If those are the only options. To be fair, the bike rider didn't exactly walk away without some bumps and bruises either.

Yes, I was just trying to show that the same people can have a different attitude to the same rules if the context is a bit different.

in a some NL cities they have bike sensors and the speeds are low enough to signal a stop across a bike lane keeping it flowing

A neighbor, who wants to see speed cameras installed to control speeding in our small (250 person) New Mexico village: "I always drive 9mph over the posted limit".

I live in Germany. Our park has a daily meet up of dog owners letting their dogs roam.

The rule says they should be on the leash.

Nobody follows it.

Your anecdote is stronger than my anecdote :)

yea, I'm afraid I'm not adding much to the discussion. In the end, it doesn't matter if Germany really is like this - the idea of an orderly country still exists.

I beg to differ, counterpoints are always useful. I have an outsiders view of Germany. I've seen large chunks of it. Even stopped for a month or two (Munich, Berlin). But I don't speak German, or at least not enough to be useful (Mein Deutsch ist nicht gut). I visit a park once or twice, not with a group that you get to know.

My lack of German may well have changed the interaction I mentioned.

Haha.

Just for the record, I am not part of the dog owners group :) I don't think it's nice to let a dog roam in the park, kids get scared, and things can go wrong.

Ah, I read that differently. Yeah, it depends on the dog I guess. I have an English Cocker Spaniel which the worst risk is probably knocking someone over. I'm generally not pro breaking rules like that, and in the case above I actually hadn't seen the sign (it was not well posted). I do generally go out of my way to translate rules where necessary.

You can get along famously in Germany knowing only the following 3 phrases:

1. Ein Bier bitte

2. Noch ein Bier bitte

3. Wo ist der W.C.

Ah my German is a little more advanced than that, but every time I stumble through trying to communicate in German they immediately switch to English. It's not like I can blame them, I wouldn't have time for my fumbling halting German either.

Does make it hard to get practice though.

What I'd do if I lived in Germany is every day read the front page of the newspaper, looking up every word I didn't know.

Due to the internet, I encounter a lot more German than I used to. For example, Netflix runs a lot of movies Auf Deutsch, and I try to figure out what they're saying.

> Often I see people in the UK breaking rules like that and it's almost never mentioned.

Because UK people generally don't care about breaking the rules of no-BBQ in the park. What happens though when someone jumps a queue?