Road system in Germany

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The German road system is basically divided according to various criteria .

Road traffic regulations

The road traffic regulations contain rules and definitions for roads in Germany.

Highway

Sign 330 - Autobahn, StVO 1992.svg

The highways are marked with the international traffic sign.

For cars and motorcycles there is no generally fixed maximum speed in Germany, but only a recommended speed of 130 km / h. Exceeding them is not prohibited, but is not recommended due to possible liability consequences in the event of accidents. This makes Germany the only country among the developed industrial nations in the world in which, in principle, there are no state sanctions, even against very fast driving.

The maximum speed for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 t (excluding passenger vehicles), for passenger vehicles with trailers, trucks with trailers, mobile homes with trailers and tractors with trailers and for buses without trailers or with luggage trailers is 80 km / h.

The maximum speed for motorcycles with trailers and self-propelled machines with trailers, for tractors with two trailers and for buses with trailers or passengers for whom there are no more seats is 60 km / h.

Buses with a special approval and marking are allowed to travel 100 km / h without a trailer.

Motorways may only be used with vehicles and trailers that can travel at speeds of more than 60 km / h on the plane (type speed). Other vehicles and pedestrians are not allowed to use motorways. Towing is only allowed until the next exit. You can drive faster than 50 km / h on motorways in urban areas.

Motorways within the meaning of the Road Traffic Act are usually also federal motorways within the meaning of the Federal Trunk Road Act and vice versa. However, there may be deviations ; such routes are then not subject to the truck toll, for example .

Motorways are always free of intersections, ie traffic is generally directed by entering the street and exiting the motorway.

Motorway

Sign 331.1 - Motorway, StVO 2013.svg

Motorways may also only be used with vehicles that are allowed to travel at least 60 km / h (maximum design speed).

On motorways outside built-up areas with lanes for one direction that are separated by a median or other structural facilities, the same maximum speeds apply as on motorways ( Section 18 (5 ) of the Road Traffic Regulations ).

Otherwise, the same speeds apply on them as on roads that are not specially marked.

Roads outside built-up areas

Symbol out of town.svg

The following applies to roads outside built-up areas:

  • for passenger cars as well as for other motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 t 100 km / h;
  • for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over 3.5 t to 7.5 t, excluding passenger cars, for passenger cars with trailers and trucks up to a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 t with trailers and for buses, including with luggage trailers, a maximum speed of 80 km /H;
  • for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over 7.5 t, for all vehicles with a trailer, with the exception of passenger cars and trucks up to a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 t and for buses with passengers for which no more seats are available, 60 km / H.

On roads with lanes for one direction that are separated by median strips or other structural facilities, as well as on roads that have at least two lanes marked by lane delimitation (sign 295) or by guidelines (sign 340) for each direction, instead of the restriction for Passenger cars and other motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 t a recommended speed of 130 km / h.

Roads within built-up areas

Symbol Innerorts.svg

A maximum speed of 50 km / h applies to motor vehicles within built-up areas, unless a higher or lower maximum speed is permitted by the regulation sign “Maximum permitted speed”. You can drive faster than 50 km / h on motorways even within built-up areas ( Section 18 (5 ) of the StVO ).

Highway-like roads

Sign 333.1 - exit from other roads outside the motorway, StVO 2017.svg

The inclusion of the so far only in guidelines described motorway-like roads into the administrative provisions for road traffic regulations only took place July 19, 2009. Here is it is roads that at least by crossing freedom resemble separate carriageways and motorways signs.

Road construction agency

The legal basis is Section 5 of the Federal Trunk Road Act for all of the following road categories.

Federal trunk roads

Federal highways of long-distance traffic (Bundesfernstraßen) are public roads according to the Federal Trunk Road Act (FStrG), which form a coherent traffic network and serve or are intended to serve large-scale traffic. A distinction is made between federal motorways and federal highways with through-towns .

The easement for federal highways is (apart from the under federal highways mentioned exceptions Ortsdurchfahrten) the federal government .

Federal highways

According to the FStrG, federal motorways are federal highways that are only intended for high-speed traffic with motor vehicles and are designed in such a way that they are free of crossings at the same height and equipped with special junction points for entry and exit. They should have separate lanes for one-way traffic.

Federal motorways are usually also signposted as motorways in the sense of the road traffic regulations; However, there are exceptions , for example, in the case of routes on which only one directional lane could previously be completed and which were therefore temporarily signposted like a federal road. For such routes the truck toll still applies; this is indicated by a corresponding symbol.

Federal highways

Federal highways can have a similar development status as highways, one speaks colloquially of yellow highways . Occasionally, such roads are even signposted as autobahns with blue signs (e.g. the B 13 / A 995 ).

For local through-roads on federal highways (but not federal highways), the construction load lies with the relevant municipality if it has more than 80,000 inhabitants. With the approval of the highest municipal supervisory authority, however, the construction load can remain with the municipality if it falls below a population of 80,000. In addition, municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants can, with the approval of the highest municipal supervisory authority, request that the construction work be transferred to them.

Federal highways are designated with a “B” and a number (possibly with an addition) (e.g. B 2 , B 15n ).

Station sign at km 2.0 on the L 262 in Landsweiler-Reden (Saar) (2nd order state road, corresponds to the district roads in other federal states)

State roads / state roads

For state roads - or state roads in the Free States of Bavaria and Saxony - the road construction load lies with the respective federal states . They form a transport network within the state area or together with the federal trunk roads and are mainly used for national traffic. The legal basis is provided by state law.

State roads are designated with an 'L' and a number (possibly with an addition) (e.g. L 1234). State roads are designated in Bavaria with 'St' and a number (e.g. St 2580), in Saxony with 'S' and a number (e.g. S 123).

County roads

For district roads , the road construction load lies with the respective district . They mainly serve traffic within a district or between neighboring districts. The legal basis is provided by state law.

District roads are designated in many countries with a 'K' and a number (e.g. K 6012), in some federal states with the corresponding license plate (possibly followed by 's' for (urban ) city ) and a number (e.g. B. M 123, EBE 1).

Municipal roads

For municipal roads, the road construction load lies with the respective city or municipality . They are mainly used for traffic within a municipality ( local roads ) or between neighboring municipalities ( municipal roads ). The legal basis is provided by state law.

Other public roads

In addition, field and forest paths , owner paths , etc. can also be released for public traffic.

According to the category

The street category is primarily used to determine planning parameters. The classification is based on:

  • Category groups ('A' to 'E') and
  • Link function levels ('I' to 'VI').

European roads

European Road 31 number DE.svg

The European roads are a cross-border network of trunk roads. They do not form a separate street category, but only use additional numbering to make orientation easier. European roads are usually federal motorways, less often federal roads.

See also