That’s the same size we use in the US. I suspect it has to with our (northern) road construction related to the fact that European cities don’t get anywhere near the snowfall North American cities do. In the southern US concrete curbs are the norm as there’s no salt or freeze thaw.

As near as I can tell Tallinn Estonia is the snowiest city in the EU (I’m not talking some alpine ski resort town) at 44in a year. Helsinki is at like 36in and Stockholm is like 33in. Moscow is 69in close but still less than Montreal which is less than Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse.