[S] Swedish Motorways • Motorvägar i Sverige

[SmarterChild]

A month ago a report was released by a national car organisation (MM). MM has reviewed the saftey of 8200 km of roads compared to the criterias of EuroRAP.

The study found out that 46,5 % of the nations busiest roads fail to comply with basic security standards. The study also points out that in an similar test conducted in 2005; 50% of the roads failed the test. There has been far to little efforts put into improvement and today swedish roads are among the unsafest in europe.

The least safest roads are fo und in the northen counties where 73% of tested roads have been given 2 (of 4) or less stars and deemed unsafe while the safest roads are found in the capital region and the southern county of Skåne.

MM has criticized the government for not taking it's resposibility by putting enough money into maintainance and improvement of the road system while collecting sky-high road- and fuel-taxes.

The national road administration has embraced the study and also complained about lack of funds, they are even short of money for the current road plans.

The infrastructure minister has shrugged away the criticism and called on drivers to drive more responsibility. Meanwhile the government has promised to assign more money to the roads and the railways (following reports of the poorest railway maintenance in Europe ) next year.


Road safety map http://www.eurorap.se/pages/vagar/mmap/index.html

[staff]

The funny thing is that Swedes are still completely under the impression that we probably have the best roads, railroads, economy and, well, pretty much everything else as well.
So don't expect much change in these matters!

[pmaciej7]

Originally Posted by Chriszwolle

I don't know if 160 is really faster than 120. You consume much more fuel, and on the long run, you'll have to refuel more often. You can easily loose like 10 minutes with that, where the one who drive 120 can already drive another 20km.

I think 120 - 130 km/h is a good and reasonable speed limit, it is a comfortable, safe speed, it gets you anywhere fast enough, and it is fuel efficient enough.

When you drive 10 km/h faster, your average speed grows 1-2 km/h. So driving 160 instead of 120, will make your average speed only 8 km/h bigger. It's not worth fuel and risk you take driving faster.

I drove from Szczecin to Munich (~780 km, ~7-8 hours of driving without breaks, traffic jams etc.) many times. At one time 140, at other time - as fast as i could, 170-190. You may not believe it, but difference was only 45 minutes.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by staff

The funny thing is that Swedes are still completely under the impression that we probably have the best roads, railroads, economy and, well, pretty much everything else as well.
So don't expect much change in these matters!

Sweden has the 3rd lowest road death rates after The Netherlands and Malta, and this thus ranks Sweden among the best in the world. A lot of these statistics is a result of the bad roads around the north. I would say most of the roads I have been to in many parts throughout southern Sweden, where most people live, are great.

[SmarterChild]

Stats can depend on several factors such as better driving habits and larger (=safer) cars etc.

Actually the numbers of bad roads for each of the southern counties are all at 40%. And that's not surprising at all: I recently drove on Route 42 a 90 km road (in western sweden) between Borås and Trollhättan. It took me close to 2 hours. On the way back I made a 70 km long detour (with a gas price of 12:49 mind you!) via Göteborg and the whole stretch ~150 kms took about 1 h 20m.

I dunno where or when you have touristed, but I doubt you'd call roads like R 42 (got plenty more like it) great or even good, had you actually been forced to commute on them daily during busy hours.

[Jeroen669]

Originally Posted by pmaciej7

I drove from Szczecin to Munich (~780 km, ~7-8 hours of driving without breaks, traffic jams etc.) many times. At one time 140, at other time - as fast as i could, 170-190. You may not believe it, but difference was only 45 minutes.

Well, 45 minutes is still a nice difference, isn't it? I drive around 140-150 in Germany, and it makes sence, though. Not only for the exact travel time profit, but also for the feeling that you get along well.

[Verso]

Originally Posted by pmaciej7

When you drive 10 km/h faster, your average speed grows 1-2 km/h. So driving 160 instead of 120, will make your average speed only 8 km/h bigger. It's not worth fuel and risk you take driving faster.

I drove from Szczecin to Munich (~780 km, ~7-8 hours of driving without breaks, traffic jams etc.) many times. At one time 140, at other time - as fast as i could, 170-190. You may not believe it, but difference was only 45 minutes.

Sorry, but your post doesn't make sense.

780 km ÷ 140 km/h = 5 h 35 min
780 km ÷ 170 km/h (let's use the lowest of the 170-190) = 4 h 35 min

So even with the lowest speed between 170 and 190 km/h (= 170 km/h) the difference is 1 hour. And 170 - 140 = 30 km/h and that's the average speed!

I know the "trick" with average speed though: for example if you drive 170 km/h for half the length and 190 km/h the other half, your average speed won't be 180 km/h.

[pmaciej7]

I know, what i am talking about, believe me.

I don't drive 140 and 180 continuously. Sometimes i have to slow down because of jammed road, sometimes there are speed limits and road works, even on german motorway...

My highest average speed (when driving ~180 where it was allowed and possible) was 137 km/h.

-------------------

Let's get back to topic or ask Chris to move these posts to "Road safety" thread.

[Verso]

^ Oh that. Yeah it's true, your average speed just can't be very high, I know.

[SmarterChild]

Today I made a 160 km long trip including 70 km on the E6/E20 motorway from Varberg to Halmstad. The weather was nice but the pictures still turned out way to gray-ish. Think it might have been cuz of my camera settings.

Entering the motorway just north of Varberg
¨

Exit Varberg C


Massive sign!


Next exit is Varberg S


We take the exit...




...to make a small stop at the village of Tvååker


Back on the motorway, we soon reach Falkenberg


Weird foreign sign layout, showing only next exits


Bypassing Falkenberg, exit Falkenberg C


The following sign show some more info about this exit and the pavement is of concrete.


another sign for exit 51


Another variant of signs, this one shows Malmö and the next exit




Falkenberg S.

[SmarterChild]

Electronic speed signs


Exit Slöinge


Almost at our destination


Exit Kvibille


Orientation sign


Reachin Halmstad N






Next exit: Halmstad East


Eurostop Next!


Our exit is coming up next


Halmstad S






We're driving towards Tylösand


City avenue


Well that took a while to upload. :P I'll have to upload the photos from the rest of the trip some other time.

[Sponsor]

Originally Posted by SmarterChild

Almost at our destination

Does each town/city is signed like that or only the most important?

[Verso]

I like those brown tourist signs, makes you feel you are somewhere. Thanks, SmarterChild! Everything is gray b/c of winter and pavement. I start liking those industrial pics, we only sign it as "industrial zone".

[Schweden]

http://www.svt.se/content/1/c8/01/09...oran080326.pdf
New speedlimits! I'm positive.

[ChrisZwolle]

Nice, Falkenberg is the northernmost point i've been in Sweden.

[Jeroen669]

Originally Posted by Schweden

http://www.svt.se/content/1/c8/01/09...oran080326.pdf
New speedlimits! I'm positive.

That seems good. What does "Höjd" and "Sänkt" mean, btw?

[Euklidisk]

Originally Posted by Jeroen669

That seems good. What does "Höjd" and "Sänkt" mean, btw?

Yes, this is better suited to the standard of the roads. Many guardrail roads have 90 km/h, now they get 100 km/h. In my opinion they should also lower the non-divided 90 km/h roads to 80 km/h, but that's mabye politically impossible

In the long term we should sort out the odd speed limits and only have 30, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 km/h. This is what I think:

120 km/h, Motorways
100 km/h, Guardrail roads
80 km/h, Non-divided roads
60 km/h, Small country roads and suburban roads
40 km/h, City roads and housing areas
30 km/h, Outside schools or mixed with bicycles and pedestrians

Sänkt = lowered
Höjd = raised

[ChrisZwolle]

Sounds like Dutch.

Sänkt = zinkt = lager = lowered
Höjd = hoogt = verhoogd = raised

[Jeroen669]

Yeah, it's such a lovely language. Hastighetsgränser speaks for itself too.

[Verso]

Originally Posted by Euklidisk

In the long term we should sort out the odd speed limits

Odd speed limits are much better, believe me. 130 km/h instead of 120; 110 instead of 100; 90 instead of 80; 70 instead of 60 and so on.