Title says it all.
A pipe dream of mine is to clinch every autobahn and bundesstrasse in Germany.
I have clinched 89% of the Autobahn system: http://tm.teresco.org/user/region.php?units=km&u=ChrisZwolle&rg=DEU
But I can tell you it's way overrated. Unless you like congestion and construction zones every 20 miles.
The scenery isn't too great either. There are some nice stretches of Autobahn (mostly the newer ones) but in many areas it's just endless trees for a view. They planted trees alongside the Autobahn when they were built in the 1960s and 1970s and they are now full grown. Even areas with otherwise open landscapes have lines of trees along the Autobahn. When driving through major metropolitan areas like the Ruhr area, most of the view consists of trees.
The amount of trucks on the Autobahn is just ridiculous:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3510/3215501032_780727461b_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/5U9hqY)
IMG_8379 (https://flic.kr/p/5U9hqY) by European Roads (https://www.flickr.com/photos/chriszwolle/), on Flickr
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3500/3214646419_92e96209d1_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/5U4Uog)
IMG_8308 (https://flic.kr/p/5U4Uog) by European Roads (https://www.flickr.com/photos/chriszwolle/), on Flickr
Newly widened Autobahns are pretty great:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/9005122286_396490c152_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/eHKB85)
A1-29 (https://flic.kr/p/eHKB85) by European Roads (https://www.flickr.com/photos/chriszwolle/), on Flickr
Quote from: CapeCodder on July 23, 2017, 12:42:23 AM
Title says it all.
A pipe dream of mine is to clinch every autobahn and bundesstrasse in Germany.
The fastest way to get around Germany nowadays is taking as many back roads as possible. Chris explained why :sombrero:.
Man, that's a lot of trucks! I've never seen that many trucks on an interstate.
Quote from: compdude787 on July 24, 2017, 06:58:39 PM
Man, that's a lot of trucks! I've never seen that many trucks on an interstate.
Come to this area south of Chicago sometime. I-55, I-80, and I-80/94 are full of trucks.
Quote from: compdude787 on July 24, 2017, 06:58:39 PM
Man, that's a lot of trucks! I've never seen that many trucks on an interstate.
Looks like I-81 in Virginia, without the hills.
Quote from: Jim on July 24, 2017, 07:19:55 PM
Quote from: compdude787 on July 24, 2017, 06:58:39 PM
Man, that's a lot of trucks! I've never seen that many trucks on an interstate.
Looks like I-81 in Virginia, without the hills.
That was truck heaven...
Quote from: compdude787 on July 24, 2017, 06:58:39 PM
Man, that's a lot of trucks! I've never seen that many trucks on an interstate.
Reminds me of the big convoy in Smokey and the Bandit.
Mine: http://tm.teresco.org/user/region.php?units=km&u=Bickendan&rg=DEU
Quote from: compdude787 on July 24, 2017, 06:58:39 PM
Man, that's a lot of trucks! I've never seen that many trucks on an interstate.
Sorta reminds me of a first person view in Cities: Skylines
Quote from: compdude787 on July 24, 2017, 06:58:39 PM
Man, that's a lot of trucks! I've never seen that many trucks on an interstate.
A much larger share of freight is transported by truck in Europe than the U.S. European railroads are mainly geared towards passenger travel, the reverse of the situation in the U.S. Also, Germany is densely populated, with over 80 million people in an area smaller than California. This generates a large amount of truck traffic.
Truck AADT figures of 15,000 - 20,000 are common on many Autobahns, sometimes even in excess of 20,000. Though this is not only the case in Germany, truck traffic is also intense in the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK and to a lesser extent in France.
Some statistics I found:
Freight by truck:
* U.S. 36%
* EU: 75%
Waterborne transport is also less in the EU, at only 6.5% of tonnage (15% in the U.S.). Only a few rivers are capable of carrying large amounts of barges (most notably the Rhine). Due to the geography of Europe, distances are generally shorter than the U.S., a fairly large share of freight is moved within 300 miles of a port, so trains and barges are not as competitive.