So, driving SW from Fribourg this afternoon, on the A12 autobahn, there were a couple of temporary folding triangle-pyramid warning signs, with 'POLICE' on them, either side of the two lanes.
These were followed by pairs of the same collapsible signs with speed reductions ....... 100-80-60, then two lanes into one sign, moving left into the o/s lane.

OK, accident ahead - possibly a big one, with all these signs.

The right lane and hard shoulder were coned off, and at the start were a couple of Police vehicles parked - but no flashing blue lights.
Then vehicles parked on the hard shoulder ...... but not a dent or any broken glass or plastic in sight, and more Police cars - and plenty of 'blue boys' milling around ...... but still no pile up.

Then a couple of cars in front get gestured to pull into the (approx.) 100+m coned area.

It was obvious, as I slowly drove past, that this was just a normal vehicle/driver control - albeit concentrated attack - to check legalities of those, and their vehicles, in the middle of the autobahn, on a Wednesday afternoon.

I've seen plenty of Police controls before - but never on an a motorway.

I went through that at about 1600, I think they were checking vignettes.

I was about 10mins in front of you then.

I also thought that was one of the things they were checking.

(good job I wasn't on the bike, with the photocopy version taped on)

Have you ever driven down the Autobahn to see a person sitting between the guardrails (yes, between the directions of traffic!), kind of slouched down to keep a low profile with the weeds?

This happened not too long ago here, I noticed a silver BMW pulled off and stopped on the shoulder of the opposite lanes. Then noticed movement between the guardrails. By then I was past the movement and didn't have a chance to look back.

Around a slow curve, out of sight from the silver BMW and movement between the guard rails... the same signs as you mentioned TiMow. Slow, slower, then 60 as the Polizei cars came into sight. They also brought everybody into a single lane and were pulling cars off to the side.

When I met my client 30 minutes later, he had been speeding to make our appointment at the designated meeting point. He was unlucky and was pulled aside at the Polizei control area. Ticketed and fined, he showed up with a smile explaining why he was late.

The movement between the guardrails was a person with a radar. He radioed the speeders to the Polizei waiting around the bend in the Autobahn.

Sneaky!! Also experienced this near St. Gallen about two months ago. Did you see anything moving around between the guard rails TiMow?

Nope - didn't see anyone; or parked car on the shoulder, either.

....... but sneaky, eh?

I have seen these controls a number of times on autobahns.
Biggest control was near Bülach North - they were diverting all cars off the autobahn then around in a circle where the main group of police were working & then back onto the autobahn.

I've seen entry/exit slips diverts before, but never between junctions.

They do that "between junctions" control relatively often on the Zürich-Basel Autobahn between junctions 15 & 16.

Yeah .... but it's the bimbles down here, though.

Imagine having that job. At home, in the evening, your partner asks "how was your day"?

"Between a rock & a hard place!"

About 10 years ago at 1 am, we were all diverted into a car park north of Zurich. Powerful flood lights & machine guns everwhere. I asked him to stop pointing the automatic at me, he just ignored me, checked the car for people and waived me on.

There are often controls on Autobahns, checking the tachographs on trucks for the driver's rest periods.

Sometimes, this is done in Germany too.
Usually police is looking for people who are wanted for arrest, illegal mods at cars and motor-bikes, people driving without a license, illegal weapons, people who are not allowed to be in the country, stolen goods, people with burglary tools - whatever.
I imagine, there are usually very experienced officers taking a look at people and singling out "suspicious" ones.

Had a it a few years back - just after the St Gallen turn off on the Autobahn to Chur - headed a few KM up - and even before the first junction they had a speed control.

Safety check obviously

I think fmf was right about vignettes - at least as the excuse to pull cars over, and then go from there.

Although, the last speed limit was 60, everyone was rubbernecking and speeds were down to crawling, making it easy for the blue boys to look at windscreens and single cars out.

Safety check, tachos, vignettes, excess load, the list is endless. Often though, following a burglary involving large sum/value, or following police/customs information or even international intelligence. You'll probably never know.

I got away with a second hand Vignette bought on EF

In Ticino it's easy. If one is pointing a machine gun at you, it's NOT traffic violators they're after!

Tom

Do you mean they don't have the technology to check vignettes "on the fly"?

Know the feeling