Road rage

Frankfurt airport to Schramberg is a three hour drive through a strange combination of chocolate-box countryside and industrial heartland, along autobahns, dual carriage ways and outright B-roads.

What all of these thin strips of infrastructure have in common, in this part of Germany, is an endless array of roadworks.

Now, I've lived in Dubai a few years and anything less than seven lanes has started to feel a bit cramped, but one look at the fabled autobahns showed they were clearly built for smaller vehicles than those in use today. My middle-aged shuttle driver gave me good, long, close-ups of the trucks we passed along the narrow highways and there were plenty. These roads, at their widest four lanes, are busy, with heavy traffic and enough trucks to rival the queues at any given roundabout in Dubai.

They are pockmarked with work in progress, from barrier reconstruction - nothing more than lightweight, low-rise armcos - to long sections of lane replacement and the much needed reconditioning of the pick-and- mix surfaces.

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FEATURED COMMENT Hi Stuart, you know the answer to your question how they manage to do that on roads that are not ready for purpose or wi   1 Comments Read more comments »

A fleeting 140 kmph glance at these works (yes, that is the speed at which the driver thought it best to navigate the tricky parts of the trip with his diesel transit van) indicated they won't be finished anytime soon; too few people and not enough of the right PMV in play. Lane markings too are all over the place, at some points so varied they are more like a puzzle to pass the time, than a guide.

Admittedly you could argue that all the lanes in Dubai simply mean drivers have too much choice, which could explain why so many people find it hard to decide what to do. Also, the German driver has an advanced sense of lane discipline, a clear understanding of the indicator's practical application in traffic, and an astute appreciation of their place in the hierarchy of speed - slow pokes move over. Journeys are accomplished at a pace that makes the typical Dubai-Abu Dhabi commute look pedestrian. How they do this on roads that are not fit for purpose, or wide enough for an Audi S8, is a mystery.

Yes, Dubai is littered with roadworks. Yes, there are potholes that look like impact craters. Yes, some roads are taking forever to get fixed. But Dubai's roadworks are going somewhere. Every week there is some new strip of smooth black tarmac to hurtle down; more sweeping junctions are replacing dire roundabouts; and arterial routes are getting wider. So, to all the roading contractors out there, thanks very much, nice job. And to the frustrated drivers, believe me, it could be a lot worse.

 

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