4 ms·

In southern Germany along Lake Constance I once drove through a series of towns on a main road. Each of them had a camera enforced 30 km/h (about 19 mph) speed

In southern Germany along Lake Constance I once drove through a series of towns on a main road. Each of them had a camera enforced 30 km/h (about 19 mph) speed limit. On a billboard it was explained this was because of traffic noise. I was surprised when I spotted the first camouflage colored camera and stood on the brakes. Luckily I didn't get a letter. None of the towns had a sign indicating the end of the low speed regime. In a biergarten I asked someone when the low speed usually ends and he told me that at the end of the town there's a sign on which the town's name is striked through. This is also the end of the low speed regime! Then I continued and I arrived at a larger town. There I seem to have missed the end of the low speed area because people started to overtake me. I thought it's their own fault because it's the people in these towns who have asked for the low speed on their roads.

ashildr 8y ago
So it’s somehow not your fault that you don’t know German law and so didn’t realize that the explicit speed limit ended with signage for „end of this city“? (And an most likely another speed limit begun depending on the number of lanes)
- _nalply 8y ago
  That was at the last town which was a bit larger. I was still inside the town and thought I had to keep the low speed till I encountered the end of town sign as the biergarten guy told me. Additionally I thought the signage less than optimal: rather small signs behind bushes and so on. Once or twice I saw the speed cameras before the sign. So that's why I felt it's their own fault.
zaarn 8y ago
Speed Limits in Germany are generally valid until End of Town or the next (major) intersection (not every road intersecting with the lane you're on counts as such, the sidewalk has to be interrupted). There are exceptions; Speed Limit Zones (Zones, not simple Limits, usually 30KPH) do not end at intersections and there are special Walking Speed Zones (Beruhigte Zone, usually around Schools or dense Community Areas) where the max speed is 10kph where you get much more severe fines than in other zones (especially around schools).
- _nalply 8y ago
  Thanks a lot. I wouldn't have expected Switzerland and Germany to have such different traffic laws.

ashildr 8y ago

So it’s somehow not your fault that you don’t know German law and so didn’t realize that the explicit speed limit ended with signage for „end of this city“? (And an most likely another speed limit begun depending on the number of lanes)

_nalply 8y ago
That was at the last town which was a bit larger. I was still inside the town and thought I had to keep the low speed till I encountered the end of town sign as the biergarten guy told me. Additionally I thought the signage less than optimal: rather small signs behind bushes and so on. Once or twice I saw the speed cameras before the sign. So that's why I felt it's their own fault.

zaarn 8y ago

Speed Limits in Germany are generally valid until End of Town or the next (major) intersection (not every road intersecting with the lane you're on counts as such, the sidewalk has to be interrupted). There are exceptions; Speed Limit Zones (Zones, not simple Limits, usually 30KPH) do not end at intersections and there are special Walking Speed Zones (Beruhigte Zone, usually around Schools or dense Community Areas) where the max speed is 10kph where you get much more severe fines than in other zones (especially around schools).

_nalply 8y ago
Thanks a lot. I wouldn't have expected Switzerland and Germany to have such different traffic laws.