Summer way
A summer path is an unpaved , but intended for vehicle traffic, strip of an otherwise paved road . It can be designed as a verge of the road or as a separate path next to the road. The name refers to the fact that such an unpaved path is often only passable in dry weather, especially in summer.
Summer paths are kept free during road construction in order to save costs for the permanent way material. In dry weather they can be passed by pedestrians, light wagons , sturdy vehicles and bicycles as well as cattle . In addition, if the width of the paved roadway is narrow, they enable vehicles oncoming one another to evade. This requires the summer path to be 2.5 to 3 m wide. The surface of a summer path usually consists of sand , gravel or compacted earth; Depending on the climate and traffic volume, the local vegetation may also be added.
In Germany, many country roads had a summer route up until the 20th century . Because of the strong increase in motor vehicle traffic, most roads have since been provided with a permanent superstructure over their entire width . Summer paths are mostly only preserved on roads of minor importance, mainly in rural areas. Here the summer paths are also used as bridle paths because of the soft ground .
Summer paths that were originally laid out next to the road were later often paved and designated as footpaths or cycle paths .
literature
- Summer way . In: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon. Volume 18. Leipzig 1909, p. 594 ( online ).
- Friedrich Fick: The administration of the construction of roads and bridges with consideration for the greatest possible cost savings, charity for the poorer classes of the people, and the abolition of happy service. Krieger, Kassel 1831, p. 109.
- L. v. Willmann: Summer ways . In: Otto Lueger: Lexicon of the entire technology and its auxiliary sciences. Volume 8. Leipzig 1910, p. 147 ( online ).
