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Bordeaux - Lyon A89 motorway

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  • 18-02-2009 2:43am
    #1
    mysterious
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,133 ✭✭✭


    Just had a look at the french motorway network... on livemaps and google maps.

    This is one of the few remaining interurbans that were recently completed.
    Most of the French autoroute were planned like ours. All radiate out from Paris. The french now realised it was a big mistake to attract to much towards Paris. So the Last 20 years they began build cross country motorways simalar to the German system.

    But looking at the A89, doesn't it look rather odd, the way it seems to meander around alot instead of going in the general Lyon - Bordeaux direction. I understand there are some mountains.

    But god it's crazy!

    It Proceeds mostly Northeasterly and then TOTOS onto a smaller motorway, back onto its A89 futher north via another TOTOS. then its proceeds towards Clermont ferrand, and then goes almost totally south to the city centre, and then turns a left angle and snakes another bend towards lyon.

    Surely this is lunacy and really going out of the way of making the journey longer, plus the fact it's riddled with tolls.


    P.S the old road is more direct.
    I just thought I'd post, for all your opinions on this, since its a very new motorway???? I mean it really is like a better version of the N52 here, where if you set at Nenagh and set for Donegal you could end up in Longford going towards Meath.

    Sorta reminds me of the N52. And is not the most advisable route for tourists.:D GPS, will say "can't comply' can't comply major malfunction" destination does not exist go via Longford end up in ballymacshoes.....


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    #2
    Lennoxschips
    Registered Users Posts: 1,772 ✭✭✭Lennoxschips


    It has to go around the Central Massif.


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    #3
    mysterious
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,133 ✭✭✭mysterious


    Lennoxschips wrote: »
    It has to go around the Central Massif.

    I understand that, but there is quite a few TOTOS. The A89 branches onto another road and the A89 ends for a fair bit onto an older Autoroute (A20) With those crappy loop interchanges, when they should be motorway- motorway direct flyovers. It's like snakes is that bad.

    Not only this it goes way off in some places. And the Road between Clermont Ferrand goes like a right angle! It goes TOTOS again there...

    It's nasty. for a toll road, and puts at least 80km onto the journey.


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    #4
    Lennoxschips
    Registered Users Posts: 1,772 ✭✭✭Lennoxschips


    I see, yes. Looks like they made as much use of existing Autoroute as possible.


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    #5
    dmeehan
    Registered Users Posts: 2,455 ✭✭✭dmeehan


    what is "TOTOS"???


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    #6
    Carawaystick
    Registered Users Posts: 8,779 ✭✭✭Carawaystick


    The autoroute from Lyon to Clermont was built a long time ago, I went along it in the early 90's and the Puy de Dome is a huge mountain west of Clermont.

    The autoroutes have several totso's, the A6 Lyon to Paris is totso, the mainline continues on the A31 to Nancy
    Most of them would be unlike any Motorway splits here, there's usually about 1km of 4 lane section with a pair of lanes for each motorway and overhead signs clearly showing which lanes to be in.


    Look at the route of the A4, and Geography's not really an issue up there.


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    #7
    csd
    Registered Users Posts: 260 ✭✭csd


    dmeehan wrote: »
    what is "TOTOS"???

    I think the OP means "TOTSO", which means Turn Off To Stay On. In other words, in order to continue along the route number you're currently following, you must turn onto another road. An example in Ireland would be the M50 leaving the northern portal of the Port Tunnel. You must TOTSO here to stay on the M50, as the straight ahead route is the M1.

    See CBRD definition here:

    http://www.cbrd.co.uk/reference/dictionary/#t

    csd


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    #8
    dmeehan
    Registered Users Posts: 2,455 ✭✭✭dmeehan


    thanks for that, I googled TOTOS but all it found was a pizza restaurant in San Bruno in California. (very tasty too, I recomend it!)


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