A different type of highway bridge

Telepherique du Saleve, FranceOne way to cross the road in France is via the Téléphérique du Salève — a cable car that crosses a major highway to take paragliders and sightseers to the top of a cliff.

I get nervous enough in these contraptions when there’s merely a bit of snow beneath them, but this has a road full of fast cars and trucks zooming underneath, and climbs a cliff so high that there’s a huge drop between the cable and the ground. Pictured is the lowest part of the cable car, which ends right next to the road. Quadruple the height to the left and you might get close to the arrival bay.

I’ll probably give this adventure a miss, but if you’re in the area and want to check it out, it’s on the A40 autoroute, just south of the border into Switzerland.

About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.