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Comment by codesuela | Hacker News Reader

Good article overall but anecdotal evidence is anecdotal

> Standing at a street corner I was shocked that no one jaywalked. There wasn’t a car in sight, yet Germans young and old stood there obediently, waiting for the green walk signal.

I am from Berlin and I jaywalk all the time :) I think people who were actually raised in Berlin are very likely to jaywalk. Looking as to how you visited ITB I suppose many people you've seen were not originally from Berlin (also many startup founders are not originally from Berlin but from all over Germany)

/nitpick

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I actually thought it was Americans that didn't jaywalk - the whole reason for the introduction of the term being the need to concisely inform people that they're not allowed to do it ;)

In the UK at least this rule is sometimes commented upon as a notable characteristic of America. You can cross where and when you please in the UK, I think, and indeed everywhere I've been to in Europe the same rules appear to hold. (UK English has no native term for jaywalking. You just cross the road without using a designated pedestrian crossing.)

The usual disclaimers about generalising from large diverse groups apply.

In fact, you are looked at kinda funny if you don't jaywalk in most parts of Berlin.

ITB was for the first week, the second two weeks I was working in the same environment most other berlin startups work in.

But yes, it's anecdotal evidence, observed continuously over 3 weeks. And it's an impression, that's all, never claimed to have done exhaustive research :) Like I mentioned in other comments, I obviously realize there are plenty of people who probably jaywalk, in a city of millions that much is certain. But I thought that particular observation reflected a lot of what I had heard from Germans themselves.

Talking about anecdotal ITB observations, two weeks ago the streets around the travel trade fair at ICC looked like some 2nd row parked open air museum for diplomats car choices made in the eighties, with the number of exhibits in the triple digits (Not including the chauffeurs). That's not the norm :)

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