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GERMAN ROADS & HIGHWAYS

Rural roadGermany has the world's second largest road system (after the US.) There are 636,000km of roads with over 221,000km of this total being trunk roads and highways. These roads carry a huge and growing volume of traffic. In 1990, there were over 42 million registered vehicles, up from 32 million in 1986 and 19 million in 1950. In addition, Germany serves as the crossroads of Europe funneling much of the continent's east-west and north-south traffic.

(Left: Typical rural road.)

You will find that the roads in Germany are well engineered and maintained; rarely will you find a pothole, and snow removal is almost instantaneous. Signage is uniform and comprehensive. To put it succinctly, Germany's roads leave little to be desired.

One note about the road system: most of the roads in the former East Germany have now been rebuilt or upgraded from their previously dilapidated condition. Unfortunately, the expense of doing this has resulted in delays in maintenance and expansion of roads in the west. Still, the overall quality of the road system is excellent.

Germany has a hierarchical road system ranging from unpaved forest paths to the world-renown Autobahn. Here is a brief description of the road types in Germany.


Home : Driving in Germany

Getting Around Germany links

© This page and all of its contents are Copyright 2002 by Brian K. Purcell

NOTICE: The information contained on this site is provided "as-is". Although I make reasonable efforts to keep it updated, I make no guarantee regarding accuracy and assume no responsibility for inconveniences or other issues arising from its use. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.