Just thought I would bring this to the attention of the assembled multitude.
Since 1st January this year, there is a legal obligation on the part of motorists to create a "rescue lane" (Rettungsgasse) when driving on a dual carriageway or motorway if congestion is imminent. Whether the congestion is caused by a visible accident, or simply an everyday jam, this still applies. Whether there are two or three lanes in each direction, the principle is the same - the cars in the left hand lane should move over to the left as far as possible, and those in the right hand lane(s) should move over to the right, using the hard shoulder if necessary, in order to create a free lane for rescue vehicles in case the congestion is caused by an accident.
More information is available on the Austrian government website, in English, at www.tinyurl.com/7wp8grv
HTH
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>> Just thought I would bring this to the attention of the assembled multitude.
>>
>> Since 1st January this year, there is a legal obligation on the part of motorists
>> to create a "rescue lane" (Rettungsgasse) when driving on a dual carriageway or motorway if
>> congestion is imminent.
Well thats fine and dandy if you have planned congestion!
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>>
>> Well thats fine and dandy if you have planned congestion!
>>
ROFL, well, the way they phrase it is "traffic ceases to progress and congestion is imminent".
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Thanks Mike -I am going to Salzburg area for a week in May and this is useful info. I have passed it on to a UK based website giving country by country advice to UK drivers as they had no mention of it in their info pack!
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The Rettungsgasse is just common sense though. It can be a bit slow for e.g. the police or ambulance/fire services in London at rush hour, but they howl and yell and flash and forge their own lane through the traffic. There are drivers who understand and help, and headless chickens who don't. But an extra lane can be squeezed in in the most unlikely places.
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Brilliant idea - not least for motorcyclists, none of that horrid weaving and fully laden Adventure bikes can just blast through !
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"using the hard shoulder if necessary"
So you block the hard shoulder (which is there to allow emergency vehicle access) and create a new one in the middle of the road?
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Has been the law in Germany for years I believe. Emergency vehicles don't use the hard shoulder as they are not always present on the full length of the road and are often blocked with broken down vehicles. Seems a sensible idea for a rule observing nation like Austria and Germany. I guess we need to stick with blast your way through method outlined by AC
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>> So you block the hard shoulder (which is there to allow emergency vehicle access) and
>> create a new one in the middle of the road?
>>
My belief is that the *normal* use of the hard shoulder is for breakdowns. Having said that, when it's clear there is a traffic system in place around Munich to use it as an extra driving lane if it's clear.
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>> Brilliant idea - not least for motorcyclists, none of that horrid weaving and fully laden
>> Adventure bikes can just blast through !
>>
Mmm, no - there's a fine of up to 726 euros if any traffic other than emergency vehicles uses the rescue lane......
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...the way they phrase it is "traffic ceases to progress and congestion is imminent".
Presumably that's one word in German.
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Verlagerungaufdieseitekumpel
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German is a so-called "agglutinative" language. That means it is perfectly legitimate to string together related words that describe a particular person, thing, or situation and thus create a brand-new compound word
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest German word ever is Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtenge.
..
(Association for subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services) with 79 letters.
The longest German word in common usage is Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften (legal protection insurance companies) with 39 letters.
Thread drift I know but quite amusing to me first thing in the morning!
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And of course, no bright spark will consider using this nice empty lane to make brisk progress!
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And of course, no bright spark will consider using this nice empty lane to make brisk progress!
Not in Austria they won't. It's against the rules.
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As CGN states, it's been the law in Germany for decades. I was certainly aware of it in the '70s.
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>> As CGN states, it's been the law in Germany for decades. I was certainly aware
>> of it in the '70s.
>>
Not sure whether it's actually enshrined in statute as it is in Austria, but certainly in practice, when emergency vehicles are in attendance, drivers move aside to form a lane where possible in the same place as in Austria. Unfortunately, being Germans, they have all stopped very close together and it sometimes takes a while to clear it!
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>> As CGN states, it's been the law in Germany for decades.
It certainly is, and normally everyone sticks to it. Only exceptions are the cars with non-German registration plates. The law requires the cars in lanes 2 and 3 (or lanes 1 and 2 for 2 lane autobahns) to drive as far to the inside and outside of their respective lanes, without overlapping into the other lane - unless you have two 40 tonners next to each other.
The resultant gap is wide enough for ambulances and fire engines. Motorbikes drive through the gap of course, though it doesn't seem to bother anyone.
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>> Not in Austria they won't. It's against the rules.
>>
Sorry to disillusion you, but finding a way round the rules is a national sport here in Austria! In this context you may be right, but in terms of common courtesy and sensible driving, the Austrians have totally lost the plot.
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New motoring law in force in Austria - Zero
