Host Nation Update, April 9, 2024
‘Blitzer Week’ coming, April 19 is day of special focus
In this week of April, speed cameras will be operating. On April 19, 2024, as part of the speed camera marathon, speed cameras will be operating across Germany once again. However, intensified speed checks will occur throughout the entire week.
Monitoring speed limits in traffic is one of the daily tasks of the police. But once a year, the monitoring authorities try to raise awareness among drivers about adhering to speed limits through a coordinated action. The so-called speed camera marathon is organized by the European Roads Policing Network (ROADPOL) and is officially and internationally known as “Roadpol Operation Speed” or “Speed Marathon”. The speed camera marathon in 2024 takes place in mid-April. This year, the action takes place in calendar week 16, between April 15 and 21, 2024. ROADPOL has chosen a week when there are no school holidays in 15 out of 16 federal states in Germany (the exception being Schleswig-Holstein).
The highlight in Germany once again is a single day, namely Friday, April 19, when speed checks will be conducted particularly frequently from morning until evening. Additionally, a second week of intensified traffic monitoring is planned EU-wide from August 5 to 11, 2024, right in the midst of the peak European holiday travel season. The German authorities participating in the speed camera marathon usually announce the planned speed monitoring locations a few days before the event. It is not yet clear exactly which federal states and regions will participate in the speed camera marathon in 2024. Experience shows that most German police authorities take part. Last year, only Berlin, Bremen, and Saarland did not participate. From the capital, it was stated that they focus on continuous traffic monitoring and therefore do not participate in the speed camera marathon. In 2022, only eight out of the 16 federal states participated in the 24-hour event. ( Auto Motor Sport, Uli Baumann, Thomas Harloff, 06.02.2024)
Autobahn Leonberg triangle will be partially closed at the weekend
A new road surface is being laid on one of the feeder roads in the direction of the Engelberg tunnel. There will be a detour and the tunnel will remain open to traffic.
A new highway construction site is imminent. The southwest branch of Autobahn GmbH has announced that it is renewing the road surface in parts of the Leonberg triangle. Specifically, this involves the overpass from the A8 Karlsruhe-Stuttgart to the A81 in the direction of Würzburg. One lane of the overpass will therefore be closed from 10 a.m. on Friday, April 12. It will be fully closed from 8 p.m. on Friday until around 5 a.m. on Monday. Autobahn GmbH also writes: “All destinations can still be reached.”
The detour is as follows: drivers on the A8 from the direction of Karlsruhe who want to get onto the A81 in the direction of Würzburg will stay on the A8 in the direction of Munich until the Leonberg-Ost junction. Take the exit here and rejoin the A8 in the direction of Karlsruhe directly at the junction. From there, take the flyover to the A81 towards Würzburg. Traffic on the A8 in both directions (Karlsruhe and Munich) is not affected. The Engelberg Tunnel can also be used as usual. Autobahn GmbH also writes: “In order to minimize the impact on traffic, the measure will be carried out during the low-traffic period at the weekend. (Stgt Nachrichten, April 9, 24)
Weather in Stuttgart – Temperature rollercoaster: This is what the week looks like
On Monday, the thermometer climbed up to 27 degrees (81 F). On Tuesday morning, however, a cold front will hit Baden-Württemberg and it will cool down to 15 degrees (59 F) – “in keeping with the season”, according to the DWD. It may also rain in the afternoon. And according to the weather service, it will remain a relatively cool 15 degrees on Wednesday. But the tide will turn again just in time for the weekend: “Thursday will be a transitional day and from Friday there will be plenty of sunshine again, similar to today, at around 22 degrees (72 F)”. The weekend also promises plenty of sunshine and temperatures of around 25 degrees (77 F) – perfect for a trip to the countryside. Even the Saharan dust will probably no longer play a role. (Stgt Nachrichten, April 9)
Jazztime on April 12 in Böblingen Concert – with Olaf Schönborn
This Friday, the band Q4 will be performing at Jazztime in Böblingen. Bandleader and saxophonist Olaf Schönborn will be joined by Martin Simon from Böblingen
After a ten-year break, jazz saxophonist Olaf Schönborn is back on tour with his band Q4 and will be making a guest appearance at the Böblingen Jazztime series on Friday, April 12, at 8 p.m. in the Württembergsaal of the Kongresshalle.
The group has a close connection to Böblingen through the double bass player Martin Simon, with whom Schönborn has been playing together for over 20 years. Martin Simon, born in Böblingen in 1975, graduated from the Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium and then studied at the Mannheim University of Music. In addition to numerous concerts and CD productions with artists such as Sarah Kaiser, Olaf Schönborn and Fola Dada, he has been a formative bassist in the Böblingen Jazztime series since its inception.
Johannes Hamm on drums and guitarist Daniel Stelter will also be performing. The program consists almost exclusively of original compositions from Schönborn’s successful CD “Radio Jazz”. More information on the program and advance booking at www.JazzTimeBB.de (Stgt Nachrichten, April 9, 2024)
Monstertruck show in Böblingen – Courageous men in monster machines
Last Sunday afternoon in the Metro parking lot on Herrenberger Straße in Böblingen. More than 500 spectators did not want to miss the Frank brothers’ car stunt show, which offered plenty of horsepower thrills in 90 minutes. The biggest eye-catchers, not only for the numerous younger visitors, were the two monster trucks weighing four and six and a half tons respectively, which proved to be real junk presses on wheels with their oversized tires and 500 and 700 horsepower respectively. The Frank family has been touring with car shows since the 1970s.
In between, there were plenty of 180 and 360-degree spins, forwards and backwards, single and multiple rollovers, driving through a blazing obstacle with a passenger on the roof of the car and frontal crashes known as “car cones” in technical jargon. “You have to practice for six months before you can pull off a stunt,” reported one of the protagonists. This certainly also applies to the act in which a car smashed the wooden scaffolding under a stuntman positioned on it at high speed and then landed safely on the ground. There will be another performance of this car show on Sunday, April 14, also from 2 p.m. in the parking lot in Herrenberger Straße in Böblingen. (Stgt Nachrichten, April 8)
