by William Lind
This past summer I spent two pleasant weeks in Potsdam, Germany, just
outside Berlin. Potsdam was the spiritual heart of the old Prussian
monarchy (the loss of which cultural conservatives much regret), and it
is rich in history and good architecture. Thanks to the fact that it
was in the former East Germany, Potsdam is also something of a public
transportation paradise.
Not many East Germans had cars, and East Germany lacked the money to
replace tram systems with buses. As a result, even though Potsdam is a
small city, it has an extensive streetcar system. With an all-day
transit pass costing just over three Euros, it was easy to ride the
whole system, which I did.
Service is frequent and well-patronized, even though most people now
own an automobile. As so often in Europe, we see that having a car does
not automatically mean using the car. Many trips are made on foot, on
bicycle or on transit while the car sits at home. Not surprisingly, I
found the trams generally better patronized than the buses, especially
outside rush hour.
Every major tram stop, where routes exchange passengers, has an
electronic sign board telling riders when the next trams will arrive on
all routes.
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| Potsdam tram, by Sludgegulper |
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| Potsdam tram, by bindonlane |
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| Potsdam tram, by mikem 4600 |
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| Potsdam tram, by Sludgegulper |
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| Potsdam tram, by bindonlane |
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| Potsdam tram, by kafeeeinstein |
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