Autos Banned From Autobahn?

Germany's autobahns are renowned for average speeds well in excess of 80 miles an hour. But the average dropped near zero Sunday, July 18, 2010, when cars were strictly verboten.

The Motorway A40, between Dortmund and Duisburg, Germany, was closed for cars on Sunday, open only for pedestrians and bicyclists, during a cultural celebration dubbed "Still Life."

People ride bicycles on the Autobahn in Essen, western Germany on Sunday, July 18, 2010. The highway, which crosses North Rhine-Westphalia state, is normally one of Europe's busiest.

The event was part of a wider cultural festival celebrating the Ruhr region. It was chosen by the European Union this year as a European Capital of Culture 2010 — the first time the distinction went to an area rather than a city.

Hundreds of people crowd a part of the Autobahn in Duisburg. A festival spokesman said an estimated three million people turned out amid fine weather — one million of them with their bicycles — to celebrate on the highway between Dortmund and Bochum, in western Germany.

"Attention on the A40," a radio traffic report warned. "There is a 60-kilometer closure between Duisburg and Dortmund due to the longest table in the world."

Tens of thousands sat at the table, which was made up of 20,000 individual tables, festival spokesman Oliver Haenig said.

Not exactly Oktoberfest.

An aerial view of the A40 near Essen. Germany has no general speed limit for its famous autobahns. Cars often speed up to 125 miles per hour or more. In dense or dangerous areas, drivers are often required to slow down . . . to 75.

Women wearing wedding dresses take part in the "Still Life" festivities with the initiative "100 brides for Marxloh," on the Autobahn A40 near Essen, July 18, 2010. They represented Duisburg's grubby Marxloh district as the "most romantic street in Europe," as the neighborhood offers more than 50 bridal fashion stores.

People walk and ride bikes on part of the Autobahn A40 in Essen.

The Motorway A40, between Dortmund and Duisburg, Germany, during "Still-leben Ruhrschnellweg."

Bicyclists have overtaken the Autobahn in Essen, western Germany. The event is a highlight in the Ruhr 2010 European Capital of Culture festivities, which has seen Germany's rust belt region transformed into a hotbed of the arts with hundreds of concerts, plays and exhibitions planned throughout the year.

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