Autobahn traffic shouting equipment

I didn't have the opportunity for a close inspection, but on my recent foray
into Germany, I noticed what appeared to be megaphones pointing downwards
from some of the gantries over the autobahns. A quick google shows nothing
relevant. My initial assumption was that these were for ordering the
traffic around - perhaps German drivers respond better to shouted orders
than they do to signs?

Anybody know what these might be?

 

Yes. It's an audible warning for foggy conditions to let you know there is
a junction ahead. They sound the Ausfahrt.

 

<g>

 

They're a prelude to this:

----------------------------------------------------------
The telescreen was giving forth an ear-splitting whistle which
continued on the same note for thirty seconds. It was nought
seven fifteen, getting-up time for office workers.

'Thirty to forty group!' yapped a piercing female voice. 'Thirty
to forty group! Take your places, please. Thirties to forties!'

Winston sprang to attention in front of the telescreen, upon which
the image of a youngish woman, scrawny but muscular, dressed
in tunic and gym-shoes, had already appeared.

'Arms bending and stretching!' she rapped out. 'Take your time
by me. One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!
Come on, comrades, put a bit of life into it!
One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four! ...'

'Smith!' screamed the shrewish voice from the telescreen.
'6079 Smith W.! Yes, you! Bend lower, please! You can do better
than that. You're not trying. Lower, please! That's better, comrade.
Now stand at ease, the whole squad, and watch me.'

-- from _1984_ by George Orwell

 

<snip>

Was this

*really* necessary?

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Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

*exactly* what I was thinking.

 

Trafficmater stuff? Quite often got a solar panel as part of the array.
I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as
members. Groucho Marx

 

For anyone who's heard of, but never read it 1984, then probably.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

They should be shamed into reading it, by having to ask, and then being
exposed to the ridicule of UKRM....

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS GT 3.2 V6
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

<small voice>

that'd be me then.
--
Adie
(replace spam with nickname to reply)

UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.info/faq/

YZF-R1 : FZ1N : RD350LC
(anyone would think I was partial to Yamahas)
keeper of the FAQ for my sins
MRO#11 BOTAFOF#7 BOTAFOT#130 DIAABTCOD#17 MIB#24 YTC#16
BOB#15 ex-UKRMMA#22 BOMB#11

 

A masterly summing up.

--
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116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS GT 3.2 V6
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I'd suggest it's worth a read. It's not very lengthy, nor particularly
arduous, IMHO.

http://www.george-orwell.org/1984

HTH

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS GT 3.2 V6
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Must get a bit smelly round the ruhrgebiet

 

I just skipped straight to http://www.george-orwell.org/1984/22.html
and now I don't need to read the rest of it.

 

It would take a lot to ridicule them I suspect.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

And a whole lot of others too, or the book would be on top of the best
sellers list every year.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Count yourself lucky, I had to do it as my English Literature book at
'O' Level.

That fecker has been well and truly dissected :/

Paul.

 

The book's better than the film, that's for sure.

Paul.

 

:

Better than doing bloody Chaucer.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, wessie

<shudder>

It could be worse. I had an English teacher who imagined that he had a
pretty good middle-English "accent", so would insist on reading great
swathes of "The Nonnes Preestes Tale" aloud to us.