Highway

Terminology

The French term of highway (translation of Italian autostrada ) is translated differently according to the countries, but the concept remains the same one.

It can be:

Tarek syar or tarek sarii with the Morocco, in Tunisia and in other Arab country
Autobahn in Germany, Austria and in Swiss
autostrada in Italy, Poland, Switzerland and in Romania
highway with the Lebanon
car-estrada with the Portugal
Rodovia with the Brazil
aŭtovojo in Espérantie
highway in Great Britain, Ireland and New Zealand
highway, expressway (downtown), tollway (toll road), or freeway in Australia, the United States, Canada (anglophone)
autopista in Spain, fast track = autovia
dálnice in Czech Republic
diaľnica in Slovakia
autoput in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzégovine and Montenegro.
avtocesta in Slovenia and Croatia
高速公路（Gaosugonglu） in China (roads at high speed)
高速道路 in Japanese (kôsokudôro)
αυτοκινητόδρομος in Greece.
motorväg in Sweden.
autosnelweg in Netherlands and Belgium.
otoyol in Turkey and KKTC.

However, the standards and criteria of definition are accepted by international convention.

Characteristics

A highway shows the following characteristics:

it comprises two roadways with one way, separated by a central reservation (TPC) or a double safety fence, composed each of at least two lanes, which makes very improbable the frontal shocks (most fatal);
À to note: until the beginning of the Years 1980, the safety fences were absent on the level of the central reservation; drivers having lost the control of their vehicle crossed the quay level and opposite caused shocks of a rare violence with the vehicles arriving;
each roadway comprises on the external side a hard shoulder (BEAM), except on certain reduced portions (the speed limit is then lowered), itself in general bordered by a safety fence or a quay level; this band makes it possible to stop without obstructing circulation in the event of urgency, it allows also the traffic of help (firemen, SAMU, police force, Ambulance) ;
a highway is equipped with terminals of emergency call; they are laid out every 2 km; their use makes it possible the helps to quickly locate calling it; in the event of mechanical problem, the user can ask for assistance thanks to these terminals; the approved break-down mechanic of the highway is the only one with being able to intervene on this one. In France, the regulation imposes to the break-down mechanic a maximum delay of 20 min; the tariffs applied on the highway are also regulated (the price of a towing of a light vehicle to the garage nearest in day between 8:00 and 18:00 is of 107€ including all taxes, and raised of 50% is 160.50€ after 18:00 and before 8:00 and the weekend in France); the majority of the insurers completely refund this service with a contract with the third;

a highway does not comprise any crossing on level; the access and the exit are done by straps whose layout is tangential with that of the roadway, called ““deceleration” or acceleration lanes”, and who allow the vehicle entering to adopt the speed of the flow of circulation to better be able into it to be integrated (while yielding the priority to the vehicles circulating on the highway). The crossings between highways and with the ordinary highway network are done by exchangers. There does not exist, in addition, priority on the right: the vehicles reaching a highway by the line must yield the priority to those run on the latter.
in France, construction around the highway is regulated by order of the prefect, before even its construction, as from the moment when the approximate layout is known, in order to decrease the consequences of a possible accident on the population (in particular for transport of dangerous matters and the route exits) and to decrease noise pollutions.

This infrastructure makes it possible to roll at mean velocities definitely higher than those allowed on the normal roads while preserving an acceptable security level.

The highway constitutes a world closed with the clean direction (delimited by fences) and has services with the motorists: Service station, areas rest, restaurants called “Restoroute S”, as well as specialized breakdown services.

Indication

Colors

In the majority of the countries, the highway panel is either at blue bottom, or at green bottom

Country whose panel is at blue bottom

*) the panels on the ways leading to the highways are on the other hand green.

Country whose panel is at green bottom

Pictograms

The Pictogram S used on the various highway networks to represent the type of network have the same symbology: two bands and a bridge and are thus immediately recognizable. In France the C207 panel is square. He announces the beginning of a section of highway and thus the beginning of the application of the particular rules of circulation on highway.

Other pictograms are used on highways announcing the turn pikes, the rest areas or the surfaces of servics, etc

Visibility of the speakers

Personnel intervening on the highways (personnel of the development companies, firemen, police force, workmen of public works…) must have a behavior with high visibility. In the European Union, clothing must follow the Norme INTO 471; clothing must have at least:

0,80 m ² of fluorescent surface (in general yellow or orange fluo), is 80 DM ² or 8 000 cm ²;
0,20 m ² of reflecting surface (in general in the shape of four bands of 5 two, height cm with the legs and two on the jacket), is 20 DM ² or 2 000 cm ².

In certain countries, the Patrol S and Round S of the companies of assistance or car club have also easily locatable colors.

Exchangers

The word Échangeur is a generic term which indicates an exchange of traffic since it is carried out using uneven roadways. It includes/understands several types:

a diffusion comprises at least an exit or an entry of a highway towards the highway network. It can be complete (if it makes it possible to enter and leave the highway in the two directions) or incomplete. A half-diffuser comprises an entry and an exit in opposite direction.

a cross or node when there is distribution of traffic between two highways (highway node). It is not always possible to go in all the directions. The oldest crosses are built on two levels and have the form of a four-leaf clover . However, this architecture is not very effective and to prove to be dangerous little since it involves crossing of trajectory. One generally prefers the to him half-stack on three levels (one adds two direct ways allowing to turn left). The full-stack on four levels, often presented as the ideal formula, does not exist yet in France.

a junction makes it possible to pass from a base joint to two branches. If it is possible to go indifferently from and towards each branch, one speaks about triangle .

Harmful effects

The highways can bring certain harmful effects:

with the Environment: consumption and sterilization of land surfaces, Impact S direct related to the emissions of Pollutant S Automobile and indirect impacts induced by the Regrouping S, flow of liquid pollutants (of which Salt of snow clearance and Pesticide S carried by water, Roadkill, luminous Pollution, Fragmentation écopaysagère, etc
with the residents: noise, depreciation of their real goods, in certain cases.

In Africa

List of the highways of Algeria
List of the highways of Morocco
List of the Tunisian highways

In America

With the Canada

List of the Canadian highways

With the Quebec

The system of highways in the province of the Quebec, Canada, is a network which functions according to the same principle of access limited as the system Interstate to the the United States or roads 400 in the Ontario. The highways are the backbone of the road system of Quebec, which comprises close to 20 000 kilometers of roads. Speed limit on the highways of Quebec east of 100 km/h in the rural sectors and of 90 km/h or 70 km/h in the urban sectors. The highways are identified by the blue and red shields and above, a red image representing a bridge which crosses a road. The highways of Quebec are numbered from 1 to 99 in the case of principal routes, and from 400 to the 999 in the case of secondary routes or of deviations. The routes are conceived so that the trucks can avoid the urban sectors. In the case of the routes of deviation, the prefix of hundreds is even (for example, 400,600), while the routes of collector have the odd prefixes (for example, 500,700,900). For example, A-40 is a highway, A-640 is a route of deviation, and A-740 is a route of collector binding A-40 to the other highways.

The odd highways (for example, A-15) go from north to the south, whereas the pairs (for example, A-20, A-40) go from is in west. Moreover, each highway has a single name in addition to its numerical designation and it is banal that the highways are identified by using one or other method (for example, Décarie, the 15).

Highways of Quebec
List of the Québécois highways

With the the United States

The first highway in the United States is built in 1940 in California: it is about the Arroyo Seco Parkway which connects Pasadena to Los Angeles. It is at the end of years 1950 that Interstate Highway System is put in building site. It offers a network of free highways between the main cities of the pays.

The highways interurban in the United States include/understand, usually, two ways for each direction. In the big cities, the ways multiply. Certain expressways have ways of express or the access is limited more and where the trucks are fréquemments prohibited. Some have ways of express which are shared by the two directions, then the ways of express are reserved for the cars which enter to the downtown area the mornings and the outgoing cars the evenings (example: the Kennedy highway in Chicago).

The American highways are numbered according to the direction which they follow and the place or they is. The lower numbers are in the south and in the west of the country, and the odd numbers indicate the highways in North-South direction, and the even numbers indicate the highways in East-West direction.

See too

List of the highways Argentinas
List of the Brazilian highways
List of the Chilean highways
List of the Mexican highways

In Asia

List of the Turkish highways
List of the Chinese highways
List of the Korean highways
List of the Japanese highways
List of the Indian highways
List of the Lebanese highways
List of the Malaysian highways

In Europe

In Europe, the dealers of highways are very numerous. In France, the network ASF is the 1st French dealer and have Europe it is located at the 2nd rank after an Italian company.

Highways in Europe

In the majority of the countries of Europe, the highways are classified in separated categories, with a number prefixed by a letter: With in France, M with the the United Kingdom. In Sweden, in Finland, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Bielorussia and to the Denmark, however, the number of a road indicates its importance rather than its format: a normal road of the same importance than a highway will follow the same diagram of classification.

List of the German highways
List of the Austrian highways
List of the Belgian highways
List of the British highways
List of the Cypriot highways
List of the Croatian highways
List of the Danish highways
List of the Spanish highways
List of the French highways
List of the Hungarian highways
List of the Italian highways
List of the Irish highways
List of the Luxembourg highways
List of the highways Dutchwomen
List of the Polish highways
List of the Portuguese highways
List of the Serb highways
List of the Swedish highways
List of the Swiss highways
List of the Czech highways
List of the Slovak highways

In Germany

List of the German highways

History

In Germany, the “Autobahnen” were initially conceived, planned and built within a framework limited during the Weimar Republic at the end of the Années 1920, on imitation of the Italian example, but separately AVUS with Berlin one did not exceed the stage of the projects because of the economic problems and the lack of political support. One of the projects of private initiative, HaFraBa , which envisaged a “road reserved for the car” (the term “Autobahn” was created only in 1929) crossing Germany of north in the south since Hamburg until Basel in Suisse while passing by Frankfurt am/Main

A few days after the seizure of power by the Nazi S in 1933, Adolf Hitler adopted with enthusiasm a construction project of highways and named Fritz Todt as general inspector. Quickly, more than 100.000 people were mobilized everywhere in Germany in the Organization Todt. Not only, it got employment, but it improved the infrastructure necessary for the efforts of economic re-establishment; the project was also a great success of Propagande. Another goal was to reinforce the centralism and the national unit.

The first section, of Frankfurt with Darmstadt, opened in 1935.
The straight lines were used to establish speed records by the teams of race of Grand Prix of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union, until the fatal accident of the popular German runner Bernd Rosemeyer at the beginning of 1938. During the Second world war, the autobahn were used like auxiliary aerodromes, the planes being parked in the many tunnels or being camouflaged in wood neighbouring.

During the war of many sections were very damaged by the bombardment allied. In the Western part, they were quickly repaired, but in the Eastern zone, controlled by the Soviets and the government Polish, they were neglected and remained a long time ruins. In the Years 1980, was installation a policy consisting in equipping the FRG so that each household is located at less than 10 km of an access ramp. After the reunification, the efforts were dedicated on the oriental party (ex- GDR).

Current density

January 1st 2003, the length of the network was of 11.980 km, including one great part without speed limit (except those limited of to the climatic conditions, with an increased circulation, those causing of noise pollutions for the residents or those near the great agglomerations), second behind that of the the United States. Certain sections are with three ways, plus an emergency way, even with four ways (e.g. A5 in the South of Frankfurt), but it remains still sections in their two-track original form without emergency way and with very short approach ramps. They are free for the private cars but since January 1st, 2005, the heavy trucks must pay to have the right to borrow them.

Obstruction and speed of circulation

In theory, the heavy vehicles cannot engage a going beyond if their speed is not higher of at least 20 km/h than that of the vehicle of the way of right-hand side, but the drivers, subjected to strong pressures to arrive per hour, always do not comply with this rule. The police force does not repress these infringements, for at the same time economic and political reasons, because much from trucks come from foreign countries. Therefore, except Sunday when they are prohibited of circulation, they double and bouchonnent.

The high-performance touring car contemporary ones easily exceed 200 km/h at a peak, and the majority of the German manufacturers, according to a tacit agreement, artificially limit the ceiling from speed to 250 km/h to take account of imponderable and a relative difficulty of controlling all the parameters, including the risk of tyre explosion for example in the event of under-swelling. One can note that it is relatively easy to unsling them. Certain drivers of trucks in Germany are not deprived to make of 200/220 km/h, however speeds superiors are seldom observed, this being with the traffic, an excessive consumption, and also with the fact that to lead to high speeds starts not to be very pleasant more, of with a greater tiredness, and also with a perception of the risk of control strongly accentuated. Even if the Germans roll quickly on the highway, the latter are relatively respectful with respect to the distances. The accidents are rather less frequent than elsewhere but when they occur, the laws of the kinetics can make devastations.

In Belgium

the maximum speed authorized on the Belgian highways and portions of roads 2x2 bands equipped with safety fence is of 120km/h except indication of the opposite.
the Belgian roads and highways are free for all the users. A proposal aiming at making pay a label with the foreign users (the Belgians would see it deduced from their tax of circulation) is being studied but this one is disputed more and more, as well within the government as by the population.
For a few years, in fact the regional authorities (Walloon region, Flemish area, area of Brussels) have in load the equipment and the maintenance of the highways and national in the past roads. That can lead to certain incongruities on the roads and highways crossing several times the regional borders: lightings have different schedules, the language of arrowings vary, the floor coverings varies,… In addition, this system creates sometimes conflicts when it is estimated that a point of these roads must undergo talks/modifications and that it is located at the border between two areas. It arrives whereas these areas are rejected between them the responsibility for work. The Carrefour Léonard is a known example, being located at horse on the Région of Brussels-Capital and the Flemish Région (however, following the agreement of June 17th, 1991 between the three Régions of Belgium on the roads exceeding the regional limits, the Carrefour Léonard is managed by the Flemish Région).
Belgian Particularité the highways are equipped uninterrupted with lighting. In Flemish area this lighting is cut the night during the hours of low use (of 0:00 to 6:00). The Walloon government decided in March 2007 to make in the same way.
the Belgian highway network appears among densest of Europe and was built mainly between the years 1960 and 1980.
linguistic Particularité the French-speaking Belgians adopted the word of origin Dutchwoman (but also English) “boxing ring” to indicate the highway skirting of a city (what the French call a by-pass or a peripheral). The main cities equipped with boxing ring are Brussels (R0), Antwerpen, Charleroi; other cities have a partial skirting such as Liege. In the same way the French-speaking Belgians adopted the French word of origin Dutchwoman berm to indicate the device (slope, safety fence) separating the two directions from circulation.
Since March 2007, certain Flemish highways or surrounding Brussels is limited to 90km/h when one estimates to have reached a peak of pollution. The highways to which the rule is applied are equipped with a control panel limiting speed to 90km/h accompanied by an indication " SMOG". In addition, this rule has creates a series of problems during its setting-up: motorists little informed of the coming into effect of this rule, significance of the " term; smog" ambiguous (term which can refer to the fog for some, thinking whereas the limitation was imposed in the event of presence of fog), control panel placed of the right-sided of the highway and not in the medium also, first application of the rule less than one day after the placement of the control panels, application of the rule from day to day and information via the media only,… It is estimated that, during controls over the first hours of the application of this rule, 20 to 30% of the motorists were taken in red-handed in excess speed. Thousands of fines were to be counted at the beginning of the application of this new rule. All this caused a series of polemics quickly.

List of the Belgian highways

In France

Highway standards

The Code of the road roadway system, taking again in particular the law of the April 18th 1955, equips the highways with a particular legal status. “The highways are roads without crossing, accessible only in places arranged for this purpose and reserved to the vehicles with mechanical propulsion” (L122-1 article). Nothing thus prohibits to imagine a highway with single track in each direction, even if that appears not very probable. The access ramps are in particular with single track; the situation single track can also exist in the event of snow or of work. fast tracks such as the roads limited to 110 km/h or the Ring road of Paris and Lyon show certain characteristics of the highways without having the legal statute of it (the rule of the priority on the right persists in particular).

Contrary to the roadway system of common right, the residents do not profit from a right of access; the terminal points are limited and crossing. Only certain categories of Véhicule S have access there (are in particular excluded from it the pedestrians, the cycles and generally the vehicles not motorized or particularly slow, cf the R421-2 article of the highway code). In theory, the highway public domain is reserved for the only road use, which there prohibited the installation of cables, conduits or pylons not directly related to its mission.

The French highway system is mainly with Péage. At January 1st, 2004 it comprises 10 384 kilometers of highways, of which 7 841 kilometers conceded and 2 543 kilometers not conceded. Tolls are based on a fixed price or the distance covered.

In France, according to the R413-2 article of the highway code, the maximum speed is fixed at 130 km/h in open country (110 km/h in rainy weather); it is one speeds limits highest of Europe and North America.

The speed is limited to 110 km/h in the urban areas and certain sections of more difficult layout (100 km/h in rainy weather), even with 90 km in certain zones of which the zone close to Paris. Speed mimimum on the way on the left is fixed under the normal conditions at 80 km/h. Circulation and the parking on the hard shoulder or the central tape are prohibited (Article R412-8 and Article R421-5 of the highway code), except need (mechanical breakdown), avoidance of an accident, Article R421-7) and conveys emergency intervention. It is also interdict to go into reverse half-turn or (including at the stations of toll).

The construction and the maintenance of the French highway network are assured: - by the services of the State (Direction interdépartementale of the Roads) for the network not conceded (1600 km); - by concessionary companies, deprived or of mixed economy, for the conceded network (7700 km). See the article: Concessionary companies of highways in France.

History

The first French highway connection was inaugurated in 1946 between Saint-Cloud and Orgeval become A13 today. But the French highway network was slow to develop. The first connection of scale was that of the North-South axis (Lille - Paris - Lyon - Marseilles), inaugurated in October 1970 by the president of the republic, Georges Pompidou which summarized the role of the highway with Lyrisme: “ the highway must be continuous like the blood network, it must irrigate without interruption under sorrow that bottlenecks are constituted which would remove the essence of economic vitality. The highway must be related to the foreign countries. The highway is an instrument of work but also an instrument of release. It gave the possibility to the man of escaping the constraints of public transport, to leave when he wants, for, and where he wants it. It enabled him to find the geography of its country and its history . ” (Quotation raised on the site of the SAPRR).

Classification

The classification of the French highways is in place since 1966 by the letter has ; other letters of B to H were used until in 1982 . Previously they are names in connection with the crossed areas which were used to identify them, abandoned system then taken again in 1973 out of tandem of the numbers already allotted to the highways.

It gathers the highways according to the area. The highways A1, with A20 constitute the radiant primary distributers starting from Paris towards the French main cities and the foreign capitals. Some like the A2, the A11 or A12 connecting up respectively on others. The 2x (except for the A20) are located in north, the 3x in the North-East, the 4x are located in the area the Rhone-Alps, the 5x in Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure, the 6x in south-west, the 7x are in the center of the country and the 8x in the west except however for A86 (second Parisian peripheral) and for A89 (Lyon-Bordeaux). The 9x were used during a time in Normandy. The numbers with four digits (1xxx) were abandoned in 1999.

Safety

The highways were designed to ensure a maximum safety if one complies with the rules of them (in particular speed limit, of security distance and courtesy). In addition to the already evoked elements - no the intersection, roadways separated, broad radius of curvature, deceleration and long acceleration lanes, presence of a Hard shoulder - let us note:

the presence of a area rest every five minutes of way (approximately all 10 km), allowing to stop and reduce the risk of tiredness; and every half-hour (all 40 km approximately), of a area service gathering service station, rest area, shop and cafeteria or restaurant;
the presence every two kilometers of a limits emergency call connected permanently to the first-aid organizations; certain terminals are also provided with flash-lights flickering ( flashes ) igniting when an accident is announced in the zone;
of the regular patrols of vehicles of protection and beaconing of the companies of highway (or of the DIR for the not conceded highways);
of a radio frequency (107,7 MHz) emitting a program of information on the traffic (congestion, accidents, obstacles announced) on all the network subjected to toll;
of dynamic luminous display panels being able to announce the extraordinary events (accident or congestion, forecast of snowfalls…) ;
the days of big departure, of the demonstrations of relaxation, prevention and sensitizing are organized on the rest areas.

source: IRTAD - International database on the Road Circulation and Accidents, Groups of reference selected in 2003 and Données selected in 2003.

See too

List of the French highways
List of the highway projects in France
Measures to be taken in the event of accident
Fast track (or Expressway ), Ring road

External bond

Highway code (section highways)

In Italy

The highway is an Italian concept developped at the point at the beginning of the Années 1920. The first section of highway, the Highway of the Lakes, was inaugurated the September 22nd 1924 between Milan and Varèse, is 85 km.

Italy applies the limitation to 130 km/h (110 in times of rain). Contrary to the rumors which one hears since 2002, it has there no section limited to 150 km/h.

This network of highways is locally supplemented important fast tracks like FI-PI-LI in Toscane between Florence, Pisa and Leghorn.

List of the Italian highways

With the Luxembourg

the speed limit on the Luxembourg highways is of 130 km/h (110 km/h in rainy weather). They are entirely free.

The service stations of the Luxembourg highways are remarkable from their size. The station of Berchem, for example, which is that holds the European record of mass fuel rate of flow over the year. It requires to be restocked three times per day at the time of the great weekends of drive out-crossed holidays.

The station of Wasserbillig, it, is largest of Europe by its surface on the ground.

The Luxembourg highways are of very good quality, maintained very well, lit and supervised by video. However, it should be known that because of the high costs of the ground and the absence of law on expropriation in Luxembourg, certain acceleration exits or lanes are surprisingly short and thus misleading for the not informed drivers.

The price of the fuels is identical in all the pumps to Luxembourg, that it is on highway or not, except for some rare marks independent of great oil groups. The least expensive pump of Luxembourg east in edge of highway and is located at the intersection of the highways A13 and A4, in Foetz.

List of the Luxembourg highways

In Swiss

The highways are normally with twice two ways with hard shoulder. The sections around some cities are with twice three ways. Speed is limited to 120 km/h to the maximum, skirtings of the cities are generally limited to 100 km/h or 80 km/h.

An annual self-adhesive label of 40 CHF (~25 €) is obligatory to borrow any section of highway or semi-highway. The label is valid of December 1st of the previous year at January 31st of the following year (for the label 2007: from December 1st, 2006 to January 31st, 2008). It must obligatorily be stuck on the windshield and is not transmissible. A driver circulating on the highway without label will bail out of a fine of 100 CHF (~60 €) and will have to buy the label. It should be noted that a car tractor drawing a caravan must have two labels.

List of the Swiss highways

In Oceania

List of the Australian highways

See too

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