European Road Trip - The Autobahn
After flying into Frankfurt we drove on the Autobahn to Saarbrucken where we are staying. Some thoughts so far:
Acceleration and deceleration tapers are very short on the Autobahn. In most places, no more than a couple hundred feet. Keep in mind too that this is on a highway that has no limit for great distances.
The ramp radiuses are very tight. In fact, most cloverleafs have long straightaways followed up by very tight turns. Again, this is amazing considering the short tapers AND the high speeds involved.
ALL of the Autobahn is seperated by a double metal beam rail. No open medians here. Or cable barriers. Or concrete barriers.
Signage is very good. The signs for upcoming exits are 2-3 times the size of equivelant US signs. They also show clearly what side of the road the upcoming exits are on and where they go. Exit ramps actually show the upcoming exit with 3 signs: 3, 2 and 1 white stripes going down to the exit.
There is still more…the toll gantries, the noise walls…the windmills. More later.
Ben