Switzerland has great roads but.....
Discussion
Just read this yesterday . In summary 3 Brits got caught speeding at 150kmh in a 80kmh zone. For reference you get a fixed fine up to 20kmh over after which its based on salary.
http://www.20min.ch/schweiz/romandie/story/2221331...
Summary translation, total 9'300CHF in fines and 2 cars impounded. You may not think so, but the 3 Brits got off lightly. If I had done that speed being a Swiss resident I'd be in jail now and probably 15k + lighter in my wallet.
http://www.20min.ch/schweiz/romandie/story/2221331...
Summary translation, total 9'300CHF in fines and 2 cars impounded. You may not think so, but the 3 Brits got off lightly. If I had done that speed being a Swiss resident I'd be in jail now and probably 15k + lighter in my wallet.
Carmo99 said:
Just read this yesterday . In summary 3 Brits got caught speeding at 150kmh in a 80kmh zone. For reference you get a fixed fine up to 20kmh over after which its based on salary.
http://www.20min.ch/schweiz/romandie/story/2221331...
Summary translation, total 9'300CHF in fines and 2 cars impounded. You may not think so, but the 3 Brits got off lightly. If I had done that speed being a Swiss resident I'd be in jail now and probably 15k + lighter in my wallet.
As you say, they got off bloody lightly. I'm amazed the cars weren't impounded.http://www.20min.ch/schweiz/romandie/story/2221331...
Summary translation, total 9'300CHF in fines and 2 cars impounded. You may not think so, but the 3 Brits got off lightly. If I had done that speed being a Swiss resident I'd be in jail now and probably 15k + lighter in my wallet.
I think you are underestimating the fine you would get as a Swiss resident too (see below). Wouldn't surprise me if you never saw your licence again either. At least they voted against deporting you for it though.
For the none German speakers, the "Tagessätze Geldstrafe" equates to 75-80% of your daily income!!!
I really don't understand the Swiss mentality on this one. We have some of the best driving roads in the world and a lot of people here have the means to buy some serious metal, but the penalties for even mildly stepping out of line are draconian.
Well they can go and get stuffed.. I just finished an epic epic road trip through Germany, Austria and Italy. And didn't worry about speed at all. I spent money on hotels, restaurants, petrol and various shopping along the way.
If the Swiss want play all crazy and draconian their loss. I don't get this demonising of speed at all costs. It just drives me mad.
If the Swiss want play all crazy and draconian their loss. I don't get this demonising of speed at all costs. It just drives me mad.
[quote=Löyly]Top roads but stupid penalties like this mean it's about on par with India and urban China for driving pleasure.
[/quote]
Rubbish. There is great fun to be had at legal and semi legal speeds on the passes. Plenty of opportunities to accelerate hard out of hairpins, just don't go too crazy. A lot of the passes you don't want to be going much faster.
Oh and a nice dawn start gets you out and up the mountains before the radar guns, I'm told
[/quote]
Rubbish. There is great fun to be had at legal and semi legal speeds on the passes. Plenty of opportunities to accelerate hard out of hairpins, just don't go too crazy. A lot of the passes you don't want to be going much faster.
Oh and a nice dawn start gets you out and up the mountains before the radar guns, I'm told
eyebeebe said:
Rubbish. There is great fun to be had at legal and semi legal speeds on the passes. Plenty of opportunities to accelerate hard out of hairpins, just don't go too crazy. A lot of the passes you don't want to be going much faster.
Oh and a nice dawn start gets you out and up the mountains before the radar guns, I'm told
Agreed. In 5 years living in Switzerland, a succession of cars Inc 5 Lambos, 2 Ferraris, 2 GT3's, Exige S and Z4M, never got a single speeding ticket. You just have to be sensible. Oh and a nice dawn start gets you out and up the mountains before the radar guns, I'm told
I'd like to hear the comments if a load of foreigners came over here and expected to drive flat out, with impunity.
Don't agree with the focus on speeding (UK is heading same way), but you should know what to expect.
In France, for example, I always drive quickly, but just below confiscation speed. Would be daft to do otherwise.
Don't agree with the focus on speeding (UK is heading same way), but you should know what to expect.
In France, for example, I always drive quickly, but just below confiscation speed. Would be daft to do otherwise.
rosino said:
Well they can go and get stuffed.. I just finished an epic epic road trip through Germany, Austria and Italy. And didn't worry about speed at all. I spent money on hotels, restaurants, petrol and various shopping along the way.
If the Swiss want play all crazy and draconian their loss. I don't get this demonising of speed at all costs. It just drives me mad.
Amen to that. The Swiss are very odd and the last time we went they actively drove to prevent us from overtaking despite being under the speed limit - nutsIf the Swiss want play all crazy and draconian their loss. I don't get this demonising of speed at all costs. It just drives me mad.
I agree completely with the last comments about the Swiss mentality. It is a country I always give a miss too on road trips now. Sky high prices, rude and terrible service in hotels sums the place up. As to the comments about aggressive driving a friend of mine was cut up and brake tested on a motorway. Why you may ask? Because he crept 10Km over the speed limit to overtake someone. No he was not driving a flash car he was in his old pick up truck with his wife and he is in his seventies and a more steady driver you could not meet.
The rudeness and aggressive nature of the Swiss I have had personal experience of when skiing at Zermatt a few years ago. They stopped my wife getting on a Ski lift as they said it was closing. Needless to say they still were still letting the Swiss get on it. When my wife complained the Swiss lift attendant grabbed her and threw her to the ground. As you can imagine I was not best pleased!
Complaints to the lift company and tourist board achieved nothing.
Since then I have never returned to the awful country. Their ridiculous fines for very minor traffic infringements are another reason to avoid the place if you can.
The rudeness and aggressive nature of the Swiss I have had personal experience of when skiing at Zermatt a few years ago. They stopped my wife getting on a Ski lift as they said it was closing. Needless to say they still were still letting the Swiss get on it. When my wife complained the Swiss lift attendant grabbed her and threw her to the ground. As you can imagine I was not best pleased!
Complaints to the lift company and tourist board achieved nothing.
Since then I have never returned to the awful country. Their ridiculous fines for very minor traffic infringements are another reason to avoid the place if you can.
footsoldier said:
I'd like to hear the comments if a load of foreigners came over here and expected to drive flat out, with impunity.
Depends where the driving is. If in the middle of London and you're doing 100mph down the King's Road, then yeah you can expect to have the whole book and the shelf it goes on too. If you're doing the same speed in the middle of the Highlands with not a person in sight, then fill your boots.Swap Geneva and mountain passes for the two places mentioned above respectively, and you have my take on it.
I'm in the middle of a UK road trip, driving my 458 Speciale. Just arrived at Gleneagles having spent last 3 days in the The Lake District. The roads around the Lake district are awesome, demanding and unless you're very stupid,massive fun.
So much so you'll find squadrons of big motorbikes having a blast. Net, sod Switzerland and other destinations abroad.
Do the A592 to the Hartsop, the hilariously fast and demanding A65 to from Skipton to Kendal, the epic Hartside Cafe run on the A686 from Penrith and then tell me you'd rather piss around in Switzerland.
So much so you'll find squadrons of big motorbikes having a blast. Net, sod Switzerland and other destinations abroad.
Do the A592 to the Hartsop, the hilariously fast and demanding A65 to from Skipton to Kendal, the epic Hartside Cafe run on the A686 from Penrith and then tell me you'd rather piss around in Switzerland.
150 kph isn't really flat out is it.....300kph would be flat out....
footsoldier said:
I'd like to hear the comments if a load of foreigners came over here and expected to drive flat out, with impunity.
Don't agree with the focus on speeding (UK is heading same way), but you should know what to expect.
In France, for example, I always drive quickly, but just below confiscation speed. Would be daft to do otherwise.
Don't agree with the focus on speeding (UK is heading same way), but you should know what to expect.
In France, for example, I always drive quickly, but just below confiscation speed. Would be daft to do otherwise.
Switzerland is a stunning country but a lot of the people are total w
ks.
I go 3 times a year to visit family and friends and there's always tons of self congratulatory praise about how their country is paradise and snide remarks regarding every other nationality. Last time I was there I was informed that the British are `culinary low fliers` before that our `education was poor`.
As I said. wks.
ks.I go 3 times a year to visit family and friends and there's always tons of self congratulatory praise about how their country is paradise and snide remarks regarding every other nationality. Last time I was there I was informed that the British are `culinary low fliers` before that our `education was poor`.
As I said. w
ks.I tend to avoid Switzerland when holidaying in the Alps.
Never got a ticket there but I do notice how they have a zero tolerance to motoring infringements that basically drains all the entertainment out of driving through their country.
Only been through twice and this was enough to deter any further thoughts of going again.
Basically on the first occasion I got stopped and held for about 20mins as they tried as hard as they could to find an infringement either with my licence or my vehicle (a Ferrari 430 at that time).
They seemed genuinely peeved that they had to let me go without finding anything they could fine me for.
(They even did an emissions test and looked up the tolerances for the factory output of a F430 !)
2nd time (this time in my old Gallardo), I was followed for miles as I strictly stuck to the speed limit. I guess they were waiting for a slip of my right foot that would creep me 1km/h over the limit.
Haven't been back in over 4 years. No plans to either.
Never got a ticket there but I do notice how they have a zero tolerance to motoring infringements that basically drains all the entertainment out of driving through their country.
Only been through twice and this was enough to deter any further thoughts of going again.
Basically on the first occasion I got stopped and held for about 20mins as they tried as hard as they could to find an infringement either with my licence or my vehicle (a Ferrari 430 at that time).
They seemed genuinely peeved that they had to let me go without finding anything they could fine me for.
(They even did an emissions test and looked up the tolerances for the factory output of a F430 !)
2nd time (this time in my old Gallardo), I was followed for miles as I strictly stuck to the speed limit. I guess they were waiting for a slip of my right foot that would creep me 1km/h over the limit.
Haven't been back in over 4 years. No plans to either.
Camlet said:
I'm in the middle of a UK road trip, driving my 458 Speciale. Just arrived at Gleneagles having spent last 3 days in the The Lake District. The roads around the Lake district are awesome, demanding and unless you're very stupid,massive fun.
So much so you'll find squadrons of big motorbikes having a blast. Net, sod Switzerland and other destinations abroad.
Do the A592 to the Hartsop, the hilariously fast and demanding A65 to from Skipton to Kendal, the epic Hartside Cafe run on the A686 from Penrith and then tell me you'd rather piss around in Switzerland.
Got to agree, just come back from a tour of snowdonia region and the lakes and it was amazing!So much so you'll find squadrons of big motorbikes having a blast. Net, sod Switzerland and other destinations abroad.
Do the A592 to the Hartsop, the hilariously fast and demanding A65 to from Skipton to Kendal, the epic Hartside Cafe run on the A686 from Penrith and then tell me you'd rather piss around in Switzerland.
Lovely car by the way Camlet!
I got back on Sunday from a 2 week European road trip.
It had several advantages over the UK - not least the weather, but also the fact that there was so little traffic everywhere. Ok, I can drive 500 miles to Scotland and find deserted roads. But they're unlikely to be sunny, dry and 28+ degrees for two solid weeks, and getting there in the first place will mean suffering UK traffic jams on motorways.
The (main) Swiss passes I did on the way back were fabulous, and I may do them again one day. I got pulled over by the police but only at a roadside document check, and they were polite and friendly and did nothing unusual with their checks.
On the other hand, I was updating a thread on a different forum during my trip and on the trip down I did say I didn't like Switzerland. Some of their motorway appeared to be 60mph, and they stick to it - which was frustrating after German autobahns. Plus, 80% of the country on the route down (I crossed it in a day) smelled of manure. I entered Italy disappointed I'd booked a few nights stop in Switzerland on the way back.
But, the passes on the way back made up for it to a point. I didn't find the people rude, but must admit friendly and helpful were not words that sprang to mind. It is extortionately expensive - which would be OK if the quality deserved it, but it doesn't. Hotel rooms and food are over priced.
I visited Luxembourg, Germany, Italy and Switzerland (and drove through France) and I admit Switzerland was bottom of the list (although with the caveat that Italian drivers are insane, and that does put a slightly negative slant on Italy).
But, Gotthard / Furkka / Grimsel will live in my memory for a long time
It had several advantages over the UK - not least the weather, but also the fact that there was so little traffic everywhere. Ok, I can drive 500 miles to Scotland and find deserted roads. But they're unlikely to be sunny, dry and 28+ degrees for two solid weeks, and getting there in the first place will mean suffering UK traffic jams on motorways.
The (main) Swiss passes I did on the way back were fabulous, and I may do them again one day. I got pulled over by the police but only at a roadside document check, and they were polite and friendly and did nothing unusual with their checks.
On the other hand, I was updating a thread on a different forum during my trip and on the trip down I did say I didn't like Switzerland. Some of their motorway appeared to be 60mph, and they stick to it - which was frustrating after German autobahns. Plus, 80% of the country on the route down (I crossed it in a day) smelled of manure. I entered Italy disappointed I'd booked a few nights stop in Switzerland on the way back.
But, the passes on the way back made up for it to a point. I didn't find the people rude, but must admit friendly and helpful were not words that sprang to mind. It is extortionately expensive - which would be OK if the quality deserved it, but it doesn't. Hotel rooms and food are over priced.
I visited Luxembourg, Germany, Italy and Switzerland (and drove through France) and I admit Switzerland was bottom of the list (although with the caveat that Italian drivers are insane, and that does put a slightly negative slant on Italy).
But, Gotthard / Furkka / Grimsel will live in my memory for a long time
Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff