Fast Track

The fast tracks or expressways are Route S of the highway type with fitted separated from at least 2 ways in each direction and comprising uneven accesses (exchanging, not of direct access). Their features can be slightly less less good than for Autoroute S, but the true difference is due to the legal status which is allotted to them (this concerns an arbitrary choice of the State and does not depend on features). From this one rises from the obligations of levels of service (speed of intervention for the snow clearance for example) different from for the highways.

The concept of highway is very difficult to translate in other countries, precisely because it refers more to a legal status than with features defining a type of road object. It is never known if one compares highways between them or of the highways and the expressways.

France

In France, certain ways (trunk roads or secondary roads) have portions of the highway type (fitted separated, without intersection, reserved for the sufficiently fast motor vehicles), but proposing features reduced compared to the highways (for example absence of Hard shoulder or safety fence on the external edge). These ways are called “expressways” and are announced by a blue panel bordered of white with a silhouette of white car. Speed on these roads is in general limited to 110 km/h (100 km/h in the event of rain, Article R413-2 of the Highway code). Although they are prohibited with the bicycles and to the pedestrians, no alternative way is in general envisaged.

These portions with separate roadways are often installation to allow the going beyond under good conditions of the Heavy truck S by the light vehicles.

By-passs and peripherals

In the case of the skirting of a city, one speaks about “by-pass” or “peripheral”. The majority of these portions are free, although that is not systematic.

The ring road of Paris

Called " Périph'" , this boulevard is a particular fast track. It is equipped with separate roadways and exchangers allowing that the intersections are not done there on level, but circulation is subjected there to the priority on the right (the vehicles circulating must leave the priority to the entering vehicles). In fact, circulation is made on the two ways of left in order not to be constrained by the entering vehicles. This use is contrary with the practice: the highway code which imposes control on the edge on the right in normal weather, but on the peripheral, the way of right-hand side is explicitly indicated like sees of exit, the name of the following door being mentioned (cf R412-9 article of the highway code). Speed is limited notwithstanding 80km/h, this speed limit being envisaged normally by the highway code. No other road of France can theoretically be limited to 80km/h.

Brittany area

In administrative Area Brittany, to the recent opening of the A84, it has no Autoroute there, only fast tracks. One usually tells that the reason goes back to the treaty of Union of Brittany in France, Anne of Brittany would have required there that circulation remain free in its province. Actually, it seems that the exemption from payment goes up at the time of the Général de Gaulle, which would have wished to compensate for by the exemption from payment the distance and the wedged situation of the area.

In the Fifties, conscious that the area accumulated serious delays of development and that its opening-up became paramount, a Study committee and of connection of the interests Bretons (CELIB) is formed under the authority of Rene Pleven. Modernization of the Agriculture, Industrialization, university equipment… and plane truck driver is with the menu.

1968 should be awaited so that a road plan is set up by the State which wished, under the sharp impulse of the regional elected officials, to disenclose the area. The highways being of a too high cost, it was decided simply to refit the existing axes to carry them to 4 ways. Little by little these axes are carried on the level of the highways: asphalting of a hard shoulder (and reversed marking T1 corresponding), suppression of the majority of at-grade junctions (perpendicular way crossing the roadway, which one still finds at certain places).

This plan includes/understands the Trunk road 12 connecting Rennes to Brest (while passing by Lamballe, St-Brieuc, Guingamp and Morlaix), the Trunk road 165 connecting Nantes to Brest (while passing by Vannes, Lorient and Quimper), the Trunk road 166 between Vannes and Ploermel, the Trunk road 24 between Rennes and Lorient, the Trunk road 137 between St Malo and Nantes while passing by Rennes and the Trunk road 157 making it possible to connect Brittany to the Autoroute A-81

All these fast tracks are in the course of transformation towards highways, mainly in the objective of the setting to the standards.

Spain

In Spain, this type of highway is called Autovia and is distinguished from the highways in the fact that the highways accept only the motor vehicles while the Autovia accept the other types of vehicle.

See too

List of the fast tracks of France

External bonds

Definition of the " term; express" sees; and characteristics on WikiSara
List of the French fast tracks on WikiSara

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