# Motorways: Facts, Figures and Curiosities



## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

pmaciej7 said:


> Watch out *X-Type*, *Verso* has got a gun and will not hesitate to use it ! :nuts::lol:


:sly:


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## KHS (Mar 13, 2007)

x-type said:


> --Tunnel: Mala Kapela, A1, 5760 m


I think it's 5780 m...





Patrick said:


> Well, I don't know a german AUTOBAHNtunnel which is longer than that beside the Rennsteigtunnel which I mentioned  *and the longest in Croatia is only 160m longer.*


180 m


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

Patrick said:


> Well, I don't know a german AUTOBAHNtunnel which is longer than that beside the Rennsteigtunnel which I mentioned  and the longest in Croatia is only 160m longer.


isn't Rennsteig almost 8 km long? and as far as i know - it's 3rd longest double-tubed tunnel in Europe


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

KHS said:


> I think it's 5780 m...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## KHS (Mar 13, 2007)

Sorry


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

pmaciej7 said:


> Watch out *X-Type*, *Verso* has got a gun and will not hesitate to use it ! :nuts::lol:


Verso can have a nuke, but he and i understand each other extremely well and he'll never use it on me. isn't that true, Verso?


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

^ Depends on whether you have it too.


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

I know some nations waged wars without any reason or due to trivial reason. Does it really matter, which motorway was first opened, Croatian or Slovenian? Ok, for you guys it does ... And I hope you know, i’m just joking about this gun. Or do you really have the gun? 

And to bring about peace in former Yugoslavia, i tell you, i like both, slovenian and croatian motorways . And i'm jealous, we don't have such great motorway network.


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

^ No, I have nukes. :lol: There was never any war between the two nations (which is rare for bordering nations in Europe), and never will be. I just corrected him, b/c he wrote 1971 instead of 1972. Had he written 1972, I'd never have written we got it 1 day before.  Back on topic, please. :cheers:


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

Stop the argument...our was the first in 64.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

we are just fighting for 5 squids and 3 shrimps in a bay  other things are standing well.

there was never doubt about which one was first - it was slovenian! they should have been opened at the same date, but with our ceremony was something fucked up, so we opened it with one day delay  and i have never known if it was in 71 or 72 - that was my problem


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

Actually it's like saying that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Cyprus entered EU 1 hour before Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia.


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

Right, back to topic.

I'd like to post something about polish motorways, but it's a big problem. 

Oldest motorway is A6 near Szczecin, opened 27.09.1936. But is it really polish motorway? Untill 1945 Szczecin was a german city... 

First polish expressway was Gdynia Bypass (eastern carriageway, Gdynia-
-Łęgowo) constructed in 1973-1977, opened 15.12.1977. 
First motorway A-4 Chrzanów-Balice (part of Katowice-Kraków motorway), constructed 1976-1983, opened 3.01.1983.


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## Patrick (Sep 11, 2002)

x-type said:


> isn't Rennsteig almost 8 km long? and as far as i know - it's 3rd longest double-tubed tunnel in Europe





Patrick said:


> Longest motorway-
> --Tunnel: A71 (Erfurt - Schweinfurt), Rennsteigtunnel, 7916m


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## Jeroen669 (Nov 29, 2006)

x-type said:


> --stretch without TOTSO's: what is TOTSO?


It's an abbreviation for Turn Off To Stay On. So the longest stretch without TOTSO's means the longest stretch of a motorway without a need to turn off the main lanes for that motorway.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

Jeroen669 said:


> It's an abbreviation for Turn Off To Stay On. So they mean the longest stretch of a motorway without a need to turn off the main lanes for that motorway.


aha! well, in Croatia are all motorways built in this way and i like it a lot! so when you exit of main lanes, you know that you're about to change A number, or you're exiting motorway. so, longest TOTSO in Croatia would be A1 in its whole lenght.


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## Jeroen669 (Nov 29, 2006)

The TOTSO itself is a point on a motorway. So a better conclusion would be then, that there are no (or very few) TOTSO's in Croatia. It's my fault. My post wasn't really clear.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Dutch traffic:

Longest traffic jams ever: A2 Knooppunt Amstel - Knooppunt Ekkerswijer 109km, A1 Soest - German border 130km (continued into Germany)

Average rushhour: 250 - 300km of queue

Longest traffic jam in time: A50 Apeldoorn - Zwolle, lasted from 14.00 - 06.00 in a snowstorm.

Longest delay: A50 Zwolle - Apeldoorn (35km) 14 hours delay in the same snowstorm. 

Largest traffic jam hotspot: A4 near Ringvaartaquaduct, road narrows from 2x5 lanes to 2x2 lanes. Second hotspot: A10 Coentunnel, road narrows from 4 lanes from A8 and 3 lanes from A10 to 2 lanes into Coentunnel. 

Worst rushhour ever; somewhere late 90's, 976 kilometer of traffic jam in an unexpected snowstorm.

Earliest traffic jams: A7/A8 Hoorn - Zaandam, traffic jams start around 6 am. 

Busiest road: A16 Rotterdam, AADT 230.255

Busiest 2x2 road: A28 near Utrecht-De Uithof AADT 123.935
Busiest 2x3 road: A10 Ring Amsterdam AADT 204.982

Busiest traffic light interchange; Knooppunt Julianaplein in Groningen.

Largest commute: Almere - Amsterdam

Busiest water tunnel: A16 Dordrecht 135.904
Busiest other tunnel A4 Schipholtunnel 171.883

Fastest growing traffic jams in 2006: A27 Utrecht - Breda, A2 Utrecht - Den Bosch, A28 Zwolle - Meppel, A50 Arnhem - Nijmegen


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## CborG (Dec 2, 2003)

Curiosities:

Die-hard tree on the A58:










Diefdijk foodgates on the A2



















Multi-purpose soundbarriers Utrecht:

Exclusive car dealer:


















big version: http://www.u2point.nl/files/vve_upload/geluidswal_groot.gif

interior:










Shopping mall:




























Offices:


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## SmarterChild (Jun 19, 2007)

Motorway network length: 1589km (2005)
Total length new and u/c motorways since 2005: ~ 200 km

Longest motorway- 
--Continuous: E4, Toftaholm-Gävle - 600 km
--Tunnel: NR 75: Södra-länkens tunnel, Stockholm - 4500m
--Bridge: Uddevallabron, E6, total length - 1712m (main span - 414m)
**Alt: Öresundsbron, E20: total lenght: 7845 m - in Sweden: 5300m.
--straight stretch: E4, Vaggeryd-Värnamo: 40,5km
--stretch without service areas: E4, Uppsala-Mehedeby: 70km
--double numbered: E6/20; Malmö-Göteborg - 270 km
--running parrallel to each other E6/E45 ~20 Km (2009)
--Without an E-number: D) NR 40 Göteborg-Borås
--planned stretch: E20 Göteborg-Stockholm since 1940's; 250 km still missing and wont be finished until after 2017.

Shortest motorway-
-- Part of a national road; NR 28, Karlskrona - 1,5km
-- NR 75, Stockholm - 6,5 km (the whole road)


Oldest motorway-
--Stretch: E22, Malmö-Lund (1952)
--with 2x3 lanes: Essingeleden (E4), Stockholm (1967)
--with 2x4 lanes: Essingeleden (E4), Stockholm (1990)
--with 2x5 lanes: :nuts:
--with parallel roads: pretty much all of them have that
--Tunnel: E6 - Tingstadstunneln, Göteborg (1962) 
--Autobahnkreuz: E4/E6/E20, Trafikplats Kropp - Helsingborg (1978)


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

pmaciej7 said:


> Germany (not my country, but i have some informations )
> Highest motorway bridge - Kochertalbrücke on the A6 between exits 43 (Schwäbisch Hall) and 44 (Ilshofen) 185 m high, 1128 m long. *Second highest in Europe.*


The highest is Viaduc de Millau in France, I assume?


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

now i remember one interesting thing for croatian motorways:

A3 between exits 4 and 6 (Lučko and Ivanja Reka) carry even 3 two-digit E numbers: E65, E70 and E71


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

TheCat said:


> The highest is Viaduc de Millau in France, I assume?


Yes, Viaduc de Millau is the highest. I cant find thread with pictures of this one.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

there are thousands of pics of Millau webwide


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

I know, but i remeber i saw great panoramic pictures on this subforum and i don't remeber where.

Ok, next year i'll try to take my own pictures 


And answering CborG - i've seen many trees between carriageways on A9 in Germany near Sachsen-Bayern border. These trees will be cut down, while motorway widening.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Trees are not that rare in the median in the Netherlands, the A1 Amersfoort - Apeldoorn, and the A28 Amersfoort - Zwolle and A28 Hoogeveen - Assen have entire forests in the median. 

A1 near Kootwijk:









A28 near Ruinen:









A28 near Dwingeloo:









A28 near 't Harde:









A6 through Lake Tjeuke in Friesland:









A8 through swamps:









A2 just north of Maastricht; 140m wide median with houses in between.









A50 between Apeldoorn and Arnhem, large ecoduct:









A15 in Europoort, 40 kilometers of continuous industrial area.









A5 near Schiphol airport, between 2 runways.









A67 near Eindhoven; roundabout interchange:









A4 near Leiden, traffic jam hotspot nr 1, the road narrows from 2x5 lanes to 2x2 lanes without hard shoulders.









A4 between Delft and Rotterdam, approved in 1965, construction started in 1968. Construction stopped in 1976. Not completed as of 2007.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

in Austria at A2 approaching Wiener Neustadt there is something that looks like plantation of christmas trees in the median  David could know it better


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

More facts from Poland:
Motorway crosses (Autobahnkreuz) - O (none), 1 under construction (A1/A2 near Stryków);
Motorway triangles (Autobahndreieck) - 1 (A4/S7 near Balice, this part of S7 is signed as a motorway; this is also TOTSO) and 1 under costruction (A4/A18 near Bolesławiec - Krzyżowa);

Motorway/expressway and expressway crosses: 1 (A4/S1 near Katowice)
Motorway/expressway and expressway triangles: 1 under construction A6/S3 near Szczecin.

Many other exits are cloverleaves or triangles, but motorway or expressway cross with other roads, so i ignored them.


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

Chriszwolle said:


> A2 just north of Maastricht; 140m wide median with houses in between.


:shocked: How can people live like that? I think it is a remnant of the Midages - just like this dutch-belgian border - these houses have always been there, am i right?



Chriszwolle said:


> A67 near Eindhoven; roundabout interchange


A67/A2? I saw it and found it stupid. But interchange with roundabout is english style...


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

No, an exit with a roundabout is English style. Not an interchange of 2 motorways...


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

Aint't this Knooppunt Leenderheide?


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## Jeroen669 (Nov 29, 2006)

^^ Yes, it is. It's still ridicolous such an important interchange is just a roundabout with a fly-over for the continuing A67. For the continuing A2 (West - South and vice versa) there's a bypass in southern direction, but in western direction you have to take the round about 3/4. However, the A2 gets widened to 4X2 between interchange Leenderheide and Ekkersweijer, and there's planned a shortcut in Leenderheide. The A2 will be the main direction. (you can find a map of the situation here)


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

You mean 2x4? Or 4x2 - two separated roads in each direction? 

I see 3 totsos will be elimanted, but Kn. Ekkersweijer and Kn. Batadorp (grrr... this dutch words are really tongue twisters ) will remain...


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Ekkersweijer, Batadorp 

4x2 is the equivalent for 2+2+2+2


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## Jeroen669 (Nov 29, 2006)

pmaciej said:


> You mean 2x4? Or 4x2 - two separated roads in each direction?


The last one, 4X2. So with parallel roads (unfortunately those are without hard shoulders and with a speed limit of only 80km/h...)



pmaciej said:


> grrr... this dutch words are really tongue twisters


Hehe, I would say that from some Polish words too. I won't even dare to try to pronounce your username (or is it an abbreviation?) nor the city you're living in correctly. :nuts:


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

I can pronounce Polish names quite okay. Hungarian is much more difficult to me


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## Jeroen669 (Nov 29, 2006)

Then how the hell do you get 'szcz' out of your throat? :lol:


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

Sorry for these errors, i corrected them.

Pmaciej7:
p = Pan = Mr
Maciej - that's my name = you read something like match-ey
7 means nothing, i tried to register as pmaciej, but i couldn't.

Szczecin... try Stche-chin

One more question: There's an exit between two knooppunts. If there are two parallel roads, how will drivers exit from A2 (two middle roads), and where will two lines of cars (A2&A67) mix together?


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## Jeroen669 (Nov 29, 2006)

At the intercharges Leenderheide, Ekkersweijer and De Hogt you need to decide whether you want to follow the main A2 or the parallel road. If you chose for the first one, you can't exit anymore untill the next intercharge.


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## keber (Nov 8, 2006)

pmaciej7 said:


> Aint't this Knooppunt Leenderheide?


Why traffic jam on lower part of the picture? It seems as there is a semaphore/traffic light. 

On motorway?:nuts:


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Jup, such large roundabouts have traffic lights in the Netherlands. In my hometown Zwolle there is exactly such a roundabout, but that's an exit, not an interchange between 2 motorways.


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## Jeroen669 (Nov 29, 2006)

Thank god, they have. Btw, this is not the only roundabout intercharge in Holland. Joure (A6/A7) and Velperbroek (at the A12 near Arnhem) are also examples of them.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

more trees in the middle, this time Italy


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## radi6404 (May 13, 2007)

bulgaria

Longest motorway
Trakya - 250 km

shortest motorway
Struma motorway - 25 km
newest motorway
Trakia motorway section which connects Stara Zagora, finsihed 5. October this year. 
complete newest motorway, not section
STRUMA MOTORWAY

motorway with most bridges per lengh
Struma motorway

motorway with fewest bridges per lengh
Trakya motorway

motorway with highest ongest brdges
Hemus motorway


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

radi6404 said:


> finsihed
> lengh
> lengh
> ongest
> brdges


Is this some kind of Bulgarian-English accent? :lol:


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## radi6404 (May 13, 2007)

Chriszwolle said:


> Is this some kind of Bulgarian-English accent? :lol:


no but that´s my shitty keyboard which doesn´t follow all my instructions.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

radi6404 said:


> complete newest motorway, not section
> STRUMA MOTORWAY


?????

you wanna say that Struma is going to be 25 km long forever?!


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## radi6404 (May 13, 2007)

x-type said:


> ?????
> 
> you wanna say that Struma is going to be 25 km long forever?!


No, but it is now, it will be aproximately 180 - 200 km long.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

well, then it's a section, not a complete motorway


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## pilotos (Jan 24, 2007)

Facts and figures about Greek Motorways/αυτοκινητόδρομοι:

*Current length(2007):* 1289 Km
*Future length(~2013):* 2310 Km

*Currently U/C motorways:* 230 Km
*Planned to be U/C in less than 1 year:* 565 Km
*Unknown when construction starts:*226 Km
*
Longest continues motorway:* Tripoli-skarfeia:300 Km
*Future longest(2008):* PATHE(1),730 Km
*Second longest(2008-2009):*Egnatia(A-2), 670 Km 

*Longest tunnel:*Driskos tunnel in egnatia motorway(A-2), length :4581 m
*Total tunnel length in motorways :*143Km(both tubes). 
*
Longest Bridge:*Charilaos trikoupis bridge, total length 2,880 meters (9,448.82 ft)


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Today, i visited the Albert Heijn supermarket in Zaandam.

"what's so special about that?" you might say.

Well, the supermarket was actually placed _below_ the A8 motorway. The roof of the supermarket was the motorway.


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## Paddington (Mar 30, 2006)

Chriszwolle said:


> Today, i visited the Albert Heijn supermarket in Zaandam.
> 
> "what's so special about that?" you might say.
> 
> Well, the supermarket was actually placed _below_ the A8 motorway. The roof of the supermarket was the motorway.


After a heavy thunderstorm: Automotive grease on vegetables. :drool:


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## CborG (Dec 2, 2003)

pmaciej7 said:


> I see 3 totsos will be elimanted, but Kn. Ekkersweijer and Kn. Batadorp (grrr... this dutch words are really tongue twisters ) will remain...


No Batadorp will also be eliminated as totso, only the traffic form the future parallel road has to turn off to stay on.


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## RV (Oct 23, 2007)

*Finland*

Motorway network length: 700 km (2007)

Longest motorway- 
--continuous: National road 3, Helsinki-Ylöjärvi - 190 km (last stretch opens in 2008 between Tampere and Ylöjärvi on Tampere western ring road)
--Tunnel: Helsinki ring road III in Vuosaari - 1520 m (since 2008 Karnainen tunnel on National road 1 - 2230 m)
--Bridge: Tähtiniemi motorway bridge, National road 4, Heinola, total length - 924 m 

Shortest motorway-
--National road 9 in Lempäälä (1 Km)

Busiest motorway/expressway-
--Ring road I in Pakila (Helsinki) - AADT 113 000

Oldest motorway-
--Stretch: National road 1 Helsinki-Bemböle (Espoo) (1962, construction started in 1956)
--with 2x3 lanes: National road 4 in Helsinki (1967)
--with 2x4 lanes: Helsinki ring road I in Pakila (1980´s/1990´s?)
--with parallel roads: Road 51, Tapiola (Espoo) (1990´s?)
--Tunnel: Ring road III, Vuosaari tunnel (2007)

Widest tunnel: construction starting soon for Mestarintunneli tunnel on ring road I in Espoo (2x4 lanes)
widest bridge: very short bridge on Road 51 in Tapiola (Espoo) (2+3+2+1+1+2 lanes)
widest motorway stretch: National road 4, Road 51, Road 45, Ring road I, Ring road III (all in Helsinki, Espoo or Vantaa) (2x4 lanes)
Widest parallel system: Ring road I, Leppävaara (Espoo) (3+2+2+3 lanes, upgrading starting soon to 4x3 lanes)


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## KIWIKAAS (May 13, 2003)

Not much for *New Zealand* I'm afraid.

Motorways

Total length: 170km
Widest: 5-5 lanes (State Highway 1, Auckland)
Busiest: 196000 AADT (S.Hwy 1, Auckland)
Oldest: 1950 (Wellington)
Longest bridge: 1020m (Auckland Harbour Bridge)
Largest interchange: CMJ. 200000+ vehicles per day. SH.1/SH.16/SH.16E/various exits/entrances


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## davidmkelly (Nov 30, 2007)

*Motorways in England*

From the English Highways Agency website (http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/338.aspx):

As at 1 October 2004 the length of the network is 4,818 miles / 7,754 kilometres (motorways and trunk roads - http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/6053.htm )

More than 151 billion vehicle kilometres of journeys take place on England's motorway and trunk road network every year 

The Agency has more than 2000 variable message signs on the network 

A two lane motorway is 25.2 metres wide and a three lane motorway is 32.2 metres wide 

The M6 Preston by-pass was the first stretch of motorway, opened in 1958 

There are 68 motorway service stations on the network 

25% of all congestion is caused by incidents


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## CborG (Dec 2, 2003)

Dutch road tunnels:

Westerscheldetunnel, 6600m (N62)
Roertunnel, 2450m (A73) U/C
Wijkertunnel, 2000m (A9)
Piet Heintunnel, 1900m (S114)
IJtunnel, 1682m, (S112)
Velsertunnel, 1664m (A22)
A2 Landtunnel Utrecht, 1650m (A2) U/C
Hubertustunnel, 1600m (N440) U/C
Beneluxtunnel, 1350m (A4)
Coentunnel, 1283m (A10)
Noordtunnel, 1270m (A15)
Sijtwendetunnel, 1200m+275m+400m (N14)
Botlektunnel, 1181m (A15)
Thomassentunnel, 1110m (A15)
Maastunnel, 1070m
Heinenoordtunnel, 1064m (A29)
Zeeburgertunnel, 946m (A10)
Kiltunnel, 901m, (N217)
Drechttunnel, 823m (A16)
Vlaketunnel, 774m (A58)
Koningstunnel, 750m 
Schipholtunnel, 650m (A4)


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

^^ In my country we usually build tunnels under mountains.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

^^ We have to build a mountain first here to construct a tunnel


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## X236K (Mar 3, 2007)

One curiosity from CZ:

D1 highway had been approved at the end of *1938*. Cannot believe it..? Yes, it's true. Unfortunately this highway have not been completed till now.


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## asahi (Dec 28, 2007)

Chriszwolle said:


> poor car by the way  I like Polish language


The guy's speaking silesian dialect  sounds a bit funny to me, but i like it though. 

I wonder how's the girl doing now as a driver... Wonder if she passed her exam at the first try... :nuts:


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## Majestic (Jan 22, 2007)

OMG....is she....blonde? huh, what a surprise 
Such people should be banned from driving forever! I mean, she couldn't even stay in the lane for God's sake :bash:

Hopefully, I don't get to meet her on the same road anywhere, I'm from the other part of Poland anyway


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## pmaciej7 (Oct 2, 2007)

This isn't fake. This is taken from tv show.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

but i think that somewhen i saw part 2 when she really broke a car a bit


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## Bori427 (Jan 6, 2007)

Thought Poland was..better


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

Jeroen669 said:


> Yes, and I personally think that's not a good system. Taking driving lessons while there's a instructor next to you who can intervene when necessary is way much safer than just having one of your parents (eg) next to you who only can say something to you... Until there comes a situation when it's too late to yell. No, thank you.
> 
> Though I don't say our system is perfect. The demands here to pass you exam are extreme high. People need a average of 40-45 lessons nowadays. I heard in the near future a returnday will be compulsory (which is now volontary). In addition: punishment for beginning drivers (first 5 years) are also much higher than for other people. I think these kind of things improve traffic safety much better.


Well, I guess so, but I believe it mostly depends on the driving culture. For example, in Israel getting a license is similar to what you described - minimum 28 lessons, but most people fail several times and take many more. However, the accident rate there is still much higher than in Canada, because people drive more impatiently and aggressively. Generally, it seems that more northern countries have better records  Perhaps it's the weather .


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## BWG95 (Jul 20, 2010)

SmarterChild said:


> Motorway network length: 1589km (2005)
> Total length new and u/c motorways since 2005: ~ 200 km
> 
> Longest motorway-
> ...


Actually, the longest bridge that lies completely in Sweden is Ölands bron, the bridge to the island of Öland, which is 6072 metres long. When it was built in the seventies, it was Europe's longest bridge.


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## rispetto (Nov 30, 2006)

x-type said:


> but i think that somewhen i saw part 2 when she really broke a car a bit


That wasn't the same woman :lol:


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

An example of a "taper". These type of lanes have a high capacity if properly used, without requiring a lot of space. 

For most people, the merging taper is the most difficult, as you have no long merging lane, and you need to merge immediately. So you have to look before you enter to see if there is a gap. You absolutely need to be at motorway speed to use a merging taper! Merging tapers are extensively used in the Netherlands, but less so in other European countries

Exiting tapers are somewhat more common, where you can use the right lane to exit at the last moment, increasing capacity at the exit. It is normally used at high-capacity off-ramps or on motorway-to-motorway interchanges.

1. An exiting taper:


2. A merging taper:


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## bogdymol (Feb 4, 2010)

^^


> 1. An exiting taper:


nice ideea, 2 forward lanes, 2 right lanes


> 2. A merging taper:


I hate them! First time I saw them was in Florida. If the motorway is busy that is a dangerous zone.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Two examples of induction loops to monitor traffic flow:


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

bogdymol said:


> ^^
> I hate them! First time I saw them was in Florida. If the motorway is busy that is a dangerous zone.


I agree. Especially with _two_ lanes merging on to the highway. It's bad enough with _one_ lane and a short merging zone.


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## Glodenox (Mar 26, 2007)

Yeah, the exit tapers are great, but the entry tapers just seem a bit too dangerous. Of course you can still switch lane to the right to get to the longer merging lane, but otherwise you have to hope that those riding in the right lane are willing to let you merge in by moving to the left lane. So many people are simply too lazy or too dimwitted to realize that they're blocking your entry...

Greetings,
Glodenox


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

i have never seen merging tapers and i was hoping that they don't exist.
on the other hand, exiting tapers are good things increasing capacity, but i am always affraid of some genious mind ignoring ful line there. 
in HR we don't have any of them on motorways, but there are in SLO


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## Paddington (Mar 30, 2006)

I hate those merging tapers where two entry lanes become one.


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## piotr71 (Sep 8, 2009)

I know one merging lane shaped in this way in the Netherlands, it is near Eindhoven.

Such merging tapers can be also found in GB. 


















http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...02387&t=k&z=19

I do not like them either. Main reason for that is that many drivers do not know how to use them. I often see drivers who once realize where they are, suddenly brake and are trying to evade onto left lane forcing others to slow down. So, in my opinion, this kind of motorways' entries do not improve traffic flow and even cause dangerous situations. 

By the way, I found an interesting movie from the Netherlands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VUZPjnKjmM


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

piotr71 said:


> By the way, I found an interesting movie from the Netherlands:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VUZPjnKjmM


:lol: I made that video a while ago.


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## piotr71 (Sep 8, 2009)

Who else could make it


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## Paddington (Mar 30, 2006)

Are you the Freewayjim of Europe?


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## bogdymol (Feb 4, 2010)

Paddington said:


> Are you the Freewayjim of Europe?


Freewayjim is ChrisZwolle of USA :lol:


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## aswnl (Jun 6, 2004)

Merging tapers are a blessing. They don't need much space, and are better than restricting the interchange-ramp to 1 lane or having the right-lane to end after a merge. Because in the latter a lot of traffic will be driving already at the left-lane of the onramp, thus restricting capacity heavily. When properly trained, merging tapers are no problem at all. If you can collect your driving license by just driving one block in a town far away of any freeway like in many countries abroad, yes you can face a problem. Better not drive at rush-hour in NL, if you can't handle loads of merging traffic and jams.


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## piotr71 (Sep 8, 2009)

*"When properly trained"*
It's a key phrase. There is no problem at all with tapers, as long as drivers using them know what's going on, or at least have watched Chris's instructing video. Otherwise, and I am afraid it happens quite often, driving behind someone who cannot speed up when required or swimmingly stick to the traffic, might turn into a serious danger.

And believe me or not, I am witnessing that kind of improper using merging tapers by poorly trained drivers, roughly, every day I got there.


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## sirfreelancealot (Jul 26, 2010)

In the UK there is also a system known as 'tiger tails' which is used. It's very similar to merging tapers but lanes are divided by chevroned areas which do look like tiger tails, hence the term. They make the division of laves look more obvious, so to prevent people switching lanes on a slip road at the last minute as they approch the mainline. They also prevent swooping onto slip-roads from the main line as well.


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## kanterberg (Aug 3, 2009)

aswnl said:


> Merging tapers are a blessing. They don't need much space, and are better than restricting the interchange-ramp to 1 lane or having the right-lane to end after a merge. Because in the latter a lot of traffic will be driving already at the left-lane of the onramp, thus restricting capacity heavily. When properly trained, merging tapers are no problem at all. If you can collect your driving license by just driving one block in a town far away of any freeway like in many countries abroad, yes you can face a problem. Better not drive at rush-hour in NL, if you can't handle loads of merging traffic and jams.


Being a sparsely populated country, merging tapers are obviously not very common in Sweden. Where they to exist, it looks like this. 

What I find hard to understand with ours is the recommended speed limit in the left lane on the on-ramp. It seems to me that drivers in that lane should try to reach the same speed as the road they are merging onto, at least if you want the merging taper to work properly and increase capacity. Am I wrong?


Recommended speed limit 50 km/h in the left lane, speed limit on the main road is 90 km/h. 


Notice the raised rib line that provides a sensory impuls to the driver as a last warning.


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## ABWera (Apr 26, 2009)

Highest motorway densities in German & Dutch regions


The main influencing factor for a dense motorway network is transport demands. Such demands are particularly high in urban and other densely-populated areas, industrial areas and around major seaports. The highest motorway densities in the EU are found in regions of Germany, the Netherlands as...




ec.europa.eu


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## sponge_bob (Aug 11, 2013)

A very interesting recent human geography analysis of motorways from the US. The big mistake they made was putting major motorways through cities with enormous junctions quite close to city centres. This was seen as the future when a lot of these were designed in 1955-1965 but it was a mistake.

For a city to work it needs a core that is not bisected by roads and the bigger the city the bigger the core it requires. 



https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/frbp/assets/working-papers/2022/wp22-24.pdf



*Freeway Revolts! The Quality of Life Effects of Highways*

Some of you might remember that Bilbao in Spain took its urban motorway bypass out and sent the road through tunnels to the south around 10 years ago and Boston spent a fortune, and 10 years, burying an Interstate in the centre.


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