Motorways
Also called: Autobahn, Expressway · Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
Motorways are fast roads with controlled access. Vehicles can join or leave only at fixed points, so traffic flows without stopping. They have separate lanes and are built for long-distance travel. They are common in rich countries because such roads cost a lot to build and maintain. Germany calls them autobahns. In the USA, the inter-state highways do the same job.
Example
Germany's autobahns link its major industrial cities, and the USA's inter-state highways cross the whole country. Both carry heavy, fast, long-distance traffic of cars and trucks.
Don't confuse with
- Metalled road: any road with a hard, all-season surface counts as metalled. A motorway is a special kind of metalled road with controlled access and separate lanes for high speed.
Related concepts
- Pack animals
- Ropeways and cableways
- Road transport
- Metalled and unmetalled roads
- Traffic congestion
- Mass rapid transit