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==== Controlled-access highway ====
[[File:Garching Bundesautobahn 9.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bundesautobahn 9]] near by Garching bei Muenchen, Germany]]▼
At the top of the mobility-access continuum in terms of traffic flow and speed are [[controlled-access highway]]s; their defining characteristic is the ''control of access'' to and from the road, meaning that the road cannot be directly accessed from properties or other roads, but only from specific connector roads. This indirection, in conjunction with high speed limits and multiple lanes, allows these roads to support fast traffic flow with high volume, in both urban and rural areas. They are at the bottom of the mobility-access continuum in terms of access to property, allowing access to almost nothing besides other roads and [[rest areas]].
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==== Minor arterial roads ====
[[File:PageMillRoad.png|thumb|
A minor [[arterial road]] or arterial thoroughfare is a road without controlled access that can carry a large volume of local traffic at a generally high speed, being below controlled-access highways in the mobility-access continuum. Because their primary function is to connect collector roads (below) to controlled-access highways, some are considered limited-access roads.
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== National highway systems ==
[[File:Autostrada del Sole - Italy - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Autostrada A1 (Italy)|Autostrada A1]] runs through [[Italy]] linking some of the [[List of cities in Italy|largest cities of the country]]: [[Milan]], [[Bologna]], [[Florence]], [[Rome]] and [[Naples]]]]▼
In many countries,{{which|date=April 2025}} the controlled-access highways form an expansive system that generally connect distant cities within the country to each other, but there are often more highways that only have local courses designed to improve connections in a smaller region, such as within a metropolitan area.{{Clarify |date=April 2025 |reason=There are also many countries with top-level highway systems with few, if any, controlled-access highways. Limited access highways are more universal.}} Controlled-access highways are often given numbers to form a national highway system, such as the ''[[Bundesautobahn]]'' in Germany or the [[Interstate Highway System]] in the United States, but note that a national highway system may also consist of other numbered highways that are not implemented as controlled-access highways. Some countries may have more than one national highway system of a lower rank, such as the [[U.S. Highways]] (not to be confused with the Interstate system), only portions of which run on controlled-access highways. Conversely, there may also be controlled-access highways not part of a numbered system. Highways are usually given icons featuring the number of the highway called [[Highway shield|highway shields or route markers]]. In addition to the national highway system, there may be provincial-level or state-level (US) highway systems of a lower rank, which need not consist mainly of controlled-access highways.
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== Europe ==
▲[[File:Garching Bundesautobahn 9.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bundesautobahn 9]] near by Garching bei Muenchen, Germany]]
Most of Europe has a legal system based on European and international treaties which define at European/international level three types of road: motorways, express roads, and other roads. This vision comes from the 20th century and is limited to traffic code and legal issues. Each nation has its own hierarchy of roads, although there is also a European road numbering at European level, for European roads.
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==== Autostrade ====
▲[[File:Autostrada del Sole - Italy - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Autostrada A1 (Italy)|Autostrada A1]] runs through [[Italy]] linking some of the [[List of cities in Italy|largest cities of the country]]: [[Milan]], [[Bologna]], [[Florence]], [[Rome]] and [[Naples]]]]
{{lang|it|[[Autostrade of Italy|Autostrade]]}} ([[motorway]]s) are designated by an "A" prefix and signed with a white‑on‑green octagonal shield. They are managed by concessionaire companies under the [[Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Italy)|Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport]], with tolls collected via closed (distance‑based) or open (flat‑rate) systems. The standard speed limit for cars is 130 km/h, with provisions up to 150 km/h on concession sections equipped with the [[SPECS (speed camera)|SICVE]] average‑speed system. As of July 2022, they total about 7,016 km, plus 13 [[spur route]]s totalling 355 km, for a density of 22.4 km of motorway per 1,000 km² of territory. They feature varying lane configurations: 1,870.2 km with three lanes per carriageway, 129 km with four lanes, 1.8 km with five, and the remainder with two lanes per carriageway.
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