Belgium motorway numbering
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Belgium motorway numbering
But why do E numbers take priority over A numbers in this country? Yes I understand the E40 may be part of a much longer route but surely it should share the same prefix as other motorways.
And why are orbital motorways given a R prefix? It must be very confusing having to remember three different prefixes for a single standard of road.
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
The simple answer is: because that is what Belgium has decided to do. They choose to sign E-routes and they choose to have only one number for each road, so it follows that where an E-route exists that is the only number that is signposted.
Again, because...that is what Belgium chooses to do! Arguably the use of “R” makes it easy to identify a ring road when navigating an unfamiliar town.And why are orbital motorways given a R prefix?
I don’t think it’s all that confusing. As a motorist you don’t have to remember how a country’s road numbering system works, you just have to know the numbers for the roads you need to use. I doubt the majority of drivers in Belgium, or visiting Belgium, have given it a moment’s thought.It must be very confusing having to remember three different prefixes for a single standard of road.
Roads.org.uk
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Indeed, I'd imagine that the majority of motorists joining a Belgian motorway simply look for "Bruxelles", "Liege", "Luxembourg", etc to make sure that they are heading in the right direction. That's all they need.Chris5156 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 16:28I don’t think it’s all that confusing. As a motorist you don’t have to remember how a country’s road numbering system works, you just have to know the numbers for the roads you need to use. I doubt the majority of drivers in Belgium, or visiting Belgium, have given it a moment’s thought.
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Or "Brussel", "Luik", "Luxemburg", depending on where you are. Even French cities are signed in Flemish in Flanders. Want Lille? Look for "Rijsel".Owain wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 19:56Indeed, I'd imagine that the majority of motorists joining a Belgian motorway simply look for "Bruxelles", "Liege", "Luxembourg", etc to make sure that they are heading in the right direction. That's all they need.Chris5156 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 16:28I don’t think it’s all that confusing. As a motorist you don’t have to remember how a country’s road numbering system works, you just have to know the numbers for the roads you need to use. I doubt the majority of drivers in Belgium, or visiting Belgium, have given it a moment’s thought.
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Apart from that, there's no prefixes, so really you have no clue as to whether, for example, Riksväg 158 is a motorway, "happy car" expressway or just an S2.
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Normally it may not be, but there are places where it is confusing.Chris5156 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 16:28 I don’t think it’s all that confusing. As a motorist you don’t have to remember how a country’s road numbering system works, you just have to know the numbers for the roads you need to use. I doubt the majority of drivers in Belgium, or visiting Belgium, have given it a moment’s thought.
I say this having been around the junction of the A14 / E14 three times because we were just looking for 14 and, not knowing about this little quirk, not checking the prefix letter. A satnav was in use but only by a passenger to find road numbers.
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Presumably you mean the E17 which takes the Lille -> Ghent -> Antwerp route and includes the Belgian A14 - the European E14 crosses Scandinavia from Trondheim in Norway and Sundsvall in Sweden and has no other number in both countries. Although you are right about there being some potential confusion whenever E numbers and national numbers coincide. I can only think of one instance of this though, and that is the E01 covering the M1/N1 in the Republic of Ireland and the A1/M1 in Northern Ireland. If there are any other cases of this happening then it would be more likely to happen further west and north in the network where the numbers are lower.Pendlemac wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 23:05Normally it may not be, but there are places where it is confusing.Chris5156 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 16:28 I don’t think it’s all that confusing. As a motorist you don’t have to remember how a country’s road numbering system works, you just have to know the numbers for the roads you need to use. I doubt the majority of drivers in Belgium, or visiting Belgium, have given it a moment’s thought.
I say this having been around the junction of the A14 / E14 three times because we were just looking for 14 and, not knowing about this little quirk, not checking the prefix letter. A satnav was in use but only by a passenger to find road numbers.
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Increasingly the signs are showing the local name if the locale is outwith the Kingdom of Belgium - Lille rather than Rijsel or Rijsel (Lille0, and Aachen appears to be supplanting both Aken and Aix la Chapelle.Chris Bertram wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 20:44Or "Brussel", "Luik", "Luxemburg", depending on where you are. Even French cities are signed in Flemish in Flanders. Want Lille? Look for "Rijsel".Owain wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 19:56Indeed, I'd imagine that the majority of motorists joining a Belgian motorway simply look for "Bruxelles", "Liege", "Luxembourg", etc to make sure that they are heading in the right direction. That's all they need.Chris5156 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 16:28 I don’t think it’s all that confusing. As a motorist you don’t have to remember how a country’s road numbering system works, you just have to know the numbers for the roads you need to use. I doubt the majority of drivers in Belgium, or visiting Belgium, have given it a moment’s thought.
Though you still have beauties like this
https://www.google.com/maps/@50.26547,6 ... 312!8i6656
In the German Cantons de l'Est where the French for Trier has been painted out.
In terms of numbers, Belgian numbering is still nationally organised although the road network is run by the three regional governments in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Blue signs are used everywhere else. Literally. Even plates underneath warning and regulatory signs are blue. Da-ba-dee-da-ba-die.
Terminally cynical, unimpressed, and nearly Middle Age already.
She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Apologies. It was a few years ago and having checked on Google Maps ( which I should have done before posting ) it was the A17 / E17 junction. We were heading south-west and wanted to go south-east.Euan wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2019 09:24Presumably you mean the E17 which takes the Lille -> Ghent -> Antwerp route and includes the Belgian A14 - the European E14 crosses Scandinavia from Trondheim in Norway and Sundsvall in Sweden and has no other number in both countries. Although you are right about there being some potential confusion whenever E numbers and national numbers coincide. I can only think of one instance of this though, and that is the E01 covering the M1/N1 in the Republic of Ireland and the A1/M1 in Northern Ireland. If there are any other cases of this happening then it would be more likely to happen further west and north in the network where the numbers are lower.Pendlemac wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 23:05Normally it may not be, but there are places where it is confusing.Chris5156 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 16:28 I don’t think it’s all that confusing. As a motorist you don’t have to remember how a country’s road numbering system works, you just have to know the numbers for the roads you need to use. I doubt the majority of drivers in Belgium, or visiting Belgium, have given it a moment’s thought.
I say this having been around the junction of the A14 / E14 three times because we were just looking for 14 and, not knowing about this little quirk, not checking the prefix letter. A satnav was in use but only by a passenger to find road numbers.
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Because Belgium is a kind of non-country, happy to accept its subsumption into the new European construct.
And because there is so much furrin' traffic on its roads that it makes sense.
My one piece of advice for driving in Belgium is to avoid the D2 N-roads as they are appallingly badly maintained.
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Belgium is a right proper country with an interesting history, and did something last year England could not, won a world cup.jimboLL wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2019 13:08Because Belgium is a kind of non-country, happy to accept its subsumption into the new European construct.
And because there is so much furrin' traffic on its roads that it makes sense.
My one piece of advice for driving in Belgium is to avoid the D2 N-roads as they are appallingly badly maintained.
If you are driving in Belgium you want to take the Ardennes N4 south from Namur rather than the A4-E411. A rollercoaster with roadsigns!
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
You may be as disparaging about Belgium as you like, but don't bring the EU into this. E Roads are created and allocated by an agency of the UN.
Roads.org.uk
From the SABRE Wiki: E Roads :
The International E-road network is a system of roads across Europe and the former Soviet Union. It is co-ordinated by the Economic Commission for Europe, a United Nations agency. The original agreement was drawn up in 1950 and has been modified several times since then. The agreement specifies:
· The numbering convention
· The routes to be used
· The quality of roads to be used
After a major re-organisation of the road numbers in 1975 (implemented 1983), the basis for
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
...and potholes so deep they dented a wheel on my unloaded truck, despite commercial tyres with deep re-inforced sidewalls.exiled wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2019 17:52Belgium is a right proper country with an interesting history, and did something last year England could not, won a world cup.jimboLL wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2019 13:08Because Belgium is a kind of non-country, happy to accept its subsumption into the new European construct.
And because there is so much furrin' traffic on its roads that it makes sense.
My one piece of advice for driving in Belgium is to avoid the D2 N-roads as they are appallingly badly maintained.
If you are driving in Belgium you want to take the Ardennes N4 south from Namur rather than the A4-E411. A rollercoaster with roadsigns!
(Allegedly more castles per surface area than any other country)
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Brussels-Capital and Flanders appear better but it would not be easy to be much worse.
Bouillon is a fantastic castle and town, well worth a visit.
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
There was a big programme of resurfacing about 20 years ago in Belgium, as they'd let the roads disintegrate into a really appalling state - crash barriers were rusted to pieces and the concrete road surfaces were breaking up everywhere. The Ghent-Mons-Charleroi-Liege-Aachen motorway was particularly bad. Metal barriers have mostly been replaced with concrete, and much resurfacing done, but I suppose more has worn out - I can't remember where it was, but about a year ago I went through one stretch of roadworks in blegium where it had been coned down to one lane for so long that grass was growing between the gaps in the concrete....
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Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Re: Belgium motorway numbering
Talking of which Wallonia has just, February, voted to look in principle at a vignette system for its motorway network. This could make it interesting on the Brussels Liege motorway that crosses the regional boundary frequently.
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