Slovenia pre-research tips

[Dirk]

Hello everybody!

As we're doing some pre-research for ETS2, we'd like to know your opinion on some of the things which we shouldn't miss in the game in our future planned DLCs - in this case for the SLOVENIA state.

Unfortunately it can be very easy to miss some key spots when planning a future road network. We can judge only from what we read or see, while those who live there, have driven there or visited there, can point us towards some famous truck stops, interesting landmark, points of interest etc.

So we'd appreciate any tips which could be helpful for us and that could easily work with in-game mechanics. Try to keep in mind that we're interested in places connected with trucks and roads. So if you have some tips, we'd be grateful. Don't be shy to add photos / videos of said locations (in better quality, so our graphics can use them as pattern).

Please be aware, that states listed here mean absolutely no promise of what's the next DLC or what states will come first. Also we can't guarantee that we'll use the research you give us - it depends on many aspects (which can't be all written here).

Cheers! [ external image ]

[ItsRedPotato]

Hey, as an ex-resident of Slovenia I have a few suggestions.

- The capital city of Slovenia is Ljubljana, second largest city Maribor and then the 3rd and 4th would be Celje and Koper

- Maribor has a crazy junction known as "razcep Slivnica", added some photos of it

- Koper has a famous port called "Luka Koper" it could lead to Italy or even Croatia, Greece, etc. if it were to be added

- Bled is a very popular city in Slovenia, it's famous for Slovenia's only island which is in the middle of a lake. I think that Bled could be a very interesting addition to the map, with a road going around it to show off the scenery and possible a bridge or a boat going to the island itself with a company or two on it

- "Postojnska Jama" or in English Postojna cave park is the largest cave in Slovenia which could potentially lead to Koper if it was to be added. It's known for stalagmites and other rock cave stuff but also for the Human Fish. There's a train originally in the cave which could be replaced with a road in the game itself

That's all I could think of, hope I was helpful.

[galimim]

As a resident Slovenian, I guess this is where I shine.

First some useful websites:
DARS Družba za avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji - People who plan, build and manage the motorway system in Slovenia
Promet.si - Here you can find the latest traffic info around the country. https://www.promet.si/portal/sl/cestne-kamere.aspx Is the link to the webcams that show you the up to date conditions on the roads. Maybe not good enough to actually use the data and pictures, but can serve as some guidelines of how the roads look at the moment.
Pravilnik o prometni signalizaciji in prometni opremi na cestah - Rules for Traffic Signalisation and Traffic Equipment on the Roads. Here you can find rules and regulations on how the traffic signs must look, the typeface, everything. Hopefully google translate will help, but please do tell if you need clarifications on something.

First things first. Since SCS works a lot with Google maps/earth a warning: As the rest of the Europe we have implemented a system of Electronic toll collection with April 1. 2018. As a result of this, the toll booths that you now see on the Google maps are slowly being demolished and reworked.
As of this post they have removed a couple around Ljubljana.

1) Toll booths at Log https://www.google.si/maps/@46.0054989, ... authuser=0 are no more. Current view can be seen here on the left

2) Toll booths at Torovo https://www.google.si/maps/@46.1951395, ... authuser=0 are also gone. Unfortunately, I count not find photos of the new situation at the moment, but I should drive there next week, so I can take some from the car to serve as guidelines.

This is it for now. I will slowly add stuff in the future. If you want me to focus on something, please do share!

[KoperSLO]

As a Slovenian born, living, working in transport & spedition & logistics branche, here are my hints for you SCS Detailed information about every noted point down here are available via contact

1. Port of Koper (Luka Koper) and Koper
This port and the city together are deffinitely the NUMBER ONE on a scale and have enorm meaning in terms of trucking, logistics and transport for Slovenia and also some Central Europe countries. Why?
It has the bussiest container (number of transported TEU's) terminal in terms of North Adriatic ports,
It has the biggest car terminal (FVL department, "finished vehicles logistics") in North Adriatic ports,
Average of 1500 trucks daily enters / goes through this port,
It is the import / export link for most of Slovenian cargo, but also Austria (33% of all imports), Hungary (40% of all import / export), Czech Republic (about 40% of all import / export) and Slovakia (about 35% of all import / export) !
Daily trains of goods transport to Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary
Numerous national and international transport & logistics companie's offices --> Kühne & Nagel, Quehenberger, GEFCO, FRIKUS, DSV, Cargo Partner, DB Schenker, METRANS, Rhenus Logistics, Autamarocchi, BLG Carshipping, all container's agents (MSC, Happag & Lloyd, ZIM Multishipping, Evergreen, MAERSK, COSCO, ONE, CMA & CGM, ... ), ...
Those stat's are verified, I live in Koper, working in international logistics & transport company and I worked inside that port for 2 years.

2. Ljubljana
As the city capital, there is lot's of SME companies as well as hub for many transport & logistic companies. The specific is the only ring road in whole country: northern part should have 2-3 active (drivable) exits, southern part (where all tranzit traffic is obligated to go ! should have 1 or 2 drivable exits, or maybe 1 on the south and one on the east ring for BTC City.
BTC City has big logistics meaning for whole capital with lot's of warehouses and hourly deliveries for trucks

3. Maribor
As a second biggest city should be included. Specialy the south part with it's industrial zone. There is also newly build Magna Steyr car plant, automotive industry

4. Novo mesto
It's the 5-7th biggest city in Slovenia (by different stat's) but has A LOT of industry, which relies on trucking transport. Here we have:
Revoz (Renault) car plant, KRKA (pharmaceuticals plant), Adriamobil plant (caravans plant), etc.

5. Trojane
This is the part of the country which is very known and picturestic (!) as a transition region between hilly east part (later Panonian plain) and valley of Ljubljana.
It starts on highway roughly by Blagovica (A1 Ljubljana - Maribor) and ends by Vransko on the same highway. On this section is has numerous tunnels, hills on both sides and several viaducts.
If you want to represent Slovenia correctly, this HAS TO BE INCLUDED FOR SURE ... some examples of the views, below
( https://www.google.si/maps/@46.1813359, ... authuser=0 )
( https://www.google.si/maps/@46.2179151, ... authuser=0 )

6. Prekmurje
For A5 highway from northeast part of Maribor towards Lendava, please bare in mind, and make sure you made the terrain FLAT. This region is know as our agricultural center, also it's part of Great Panonic plain, full of fields, corn, wheat, and other agriculture .... how should it look like ? Scenery like that --> https://www.google.si/maps/@46.6343789, ... authuser=0

7. Viaduct Črni Kal
It's the highest and the longest viaduct in Slovenia with picturestic view from and off it (it's located on the A1 highway Koper - Ljubljana) ! Another landmark that cannot be overlooked.
( https://www.dri.si/uploads/projekti/via ... pasica.jpg )
( https://farm1.staticflickr.com/83/24339 ... bb3f_b.jpg )


8. Karavanke tunnel
Crossing the border by Klagenfurt, you have to go through Karavanke tunnel (only one lane each direction ! ). There you need to stop at toll booths.
Slovenian side toll booths ... http://arhiv.gorenjskiglas.si/images/20 ... 8-AR_1.jpg and https://img.rtvslo.si/_up/upload/2015/1 ... _fp-xl.jpg
Entry from Slovenian side ... https://static.vecer.com/images/slike/2 ... 9-1300.JPG

9. Vipava Valley with H4 / A3
Since most of tranzit and international trucking is going in direction of inland Europe to Northern Italy the trucks choose or:
- Motorway H4: picturestic valley, with STEEP climb from Vipava to Razdrto ... tunnels and viaducts, hills on both sides ! More common option to choose for direction of Italy
- Highway A3 via Sežana and border pass Fernetiči with huge truck terminal right on the border with Italy, where you buy ferry ticket for Ro-Ro ships in Trieste port !

10. Additional landmarks and views from highway
- Viaduct over Drava river on the A1 highway, by Maribor east .... https://www.google.si/maps/@46.5520221, ... authuser=0
- Big daily quarry on the A1 highway, by Lukovica .... https://www.google.si/maps/@46.1711797, ... authuser=0
- Steep ascent / descent on the A1 highway, from Vrhnika to Logatec (A1, Ljubljana - Koper) ... --> https://www.google.si/maps/@45.9450467, ... authuser=0
- New sound barriers on A1 highway from Vrhnika to Brezovica on both sides (A1, Ljubljana - Brezovica) .... https://www.multivario.si/wp-content/up ... a-05_1.jpg
- Steep ascent / descent on A1 highway from Postojna exit to Ravbarkomanda fuel service (A1, Ljubljana - Koper) ... --> https://www.google.si/maps/@45.7646406, ... authuser=0
- Mountain Nanos on the intersection of A1 highway and H4 motorway ... https://www.google.si/maps/@45.7544608, ... authuser=0
- Highway split on A2 highway from Grosuplje exit to Višnja gora exit, with 80-100 kmh limit and some slippery road + bends (A2 highway, Ljubljana - Brežice)
- Viaduct Brezje on A2 highway .... https://www.google.si/maps/@46.3200247, ... authuser=0
- Brand new pedestrian brige over A2 highway by Kranj (A2, Ljubljana - Jesenice) .... https://www.delo.si/images/slike/2018/0 ... 0_1024.jpg
- Hops plantages (beer plants) on the A1 highway on both sides, from Šentrupert to Celje (A1, Ljubljana - Šentilj) .... https://www.google.si/maps/@46.265516,1 ... authuser=0
- Steep ascent / descent on A1 highway from Slovenska Bistrica to Fram (A1, Ljubljana - Šentilj)
- Mountain chains visible on both sides of A2 highway Ljubljana - Jesenice (https://www.google.si/maps/@46.3488543, ... authuser=0)

Additional, bonus, alternative things
The rest of Slovenia is pretty much not that important in terms of trucking, or simply can't fit the 1:19 scale, so here are some alternatives for some spare free space:
- city Jesenice --> right after Karavanke tunnel. The city has some powerfully steeling industry (SIJ Jesenice) and other smaller companies,
- city Nova Gorica / Šempeter pri Gorici --> here are located some bigger transport companies and SME companies + automotive industry plant MAHLE Electric drives (Letrika),
- city Celje --> SME companies and some industrial companies
- city Kranj --> SME companies and some industrial companies
- city Murska Sobota --> just few industrial companies there
- town Logatec --> just few industrial companies there
- town of Ribnica or Kočevje --> in the last years very attractive for foreign investitors ... Yaskawa robot plant, Inotherm (famous door and window plant)

I ruled out some other cities / towns with SME companies or industry because of bad road connections or proximity to the other important (yellow marked) places, specialy with baring in mind brutal 1:19 scale :
Trbovlje, Krško, Idrija, Ptuj, Kamnik, Domžale, Velenje, Slovenj Gradec / Dravograd, Gornja Radgona, Vrhnika, Grosuplje, Škofja Loka / Medvode, Črnomelj / Metlika


Important / popular rest areas
- Ravbarkomanda / Lom (highway A1, Ljubljana - Koper) ... most important and always busy rest areas towards direction of Italy / port of Koper,
- Ljubljana "Barje" ... south Ljubljana ring (highway A1) AFAIK the biggest rest area in the country, always full of trucks,
- Hrušica (highway A2, Ljubljana - Jesenice) by Jesenice ... the last / first rest area in the country,
- Lukovica / Lopata / Tepanje (highway A1, Ljubljana - Maribor) ... those 3 are the most common used on that highway, also bigger ones,
- Grabonoš / Pince (highway A5, Maribor - Lendava) ... popular and busy on this highway,


General trucking information
- International truck flow that occupies Slovenian land is: North-west to southeast (A2 highway) and north-east to south-west (A5, A1, A3 highway and H4 motorway). Most of the international trucks are transporting goods from / to Northern Italy to / from Central and East Europe inland countries (CZ, HU, RO, SK, UA, PL).
- Slovenia has 7 main and most busy border passes: Obrežje, Gruškovje (Croatia), Fernetiči, Šempeter pri Gorici (Italy), Karavanke tunnel, Šentilj (Austria), Pince (Hungary). Border control is only at Croatian border.
- Entering the country you see those signs: bottom left corner .... ( http://www.tednik.si/images/galerija/na ... vka_86.jpg ) and right picture https://blog.ecpp.si/wp-content/uploads ... tabela.jpg
- Sign for entering the highway: https://img.rtvslo.si/_up/upload/2016/0 ... _fp-xl.jpg
- Sign for entering the motorway: https://static.vecer.com/images/slike/2 ... 5-1300.jpg .... the upper part of the sign was replaced for this one, in a bit darker blue colour (https://blog.ecpp.si/wp-content/uploads ... ela3-1.jpg) and the small image on the bottom part is this one (https://automania.hr/wp-content/uploads ... 28x410.jpg)
- From April 2018 we have e-toll system for vehicles over 7,.5 t, calculated by the driven km, charged by the overheaded portals (https://www.avto-magazin.si/media/cache ... yimage.jpg).
Prices can be calculated here: https://www.darsgo.si/portal/en/toll-calculator . There will be no toll booths anymore, they are taking them down (bigger ones are gone already).
- Information overheaded portals in most of the cases look like this with blue plastic cover box arround them --> http://si.traffic-design.si/uploads/1/0 ... 8_orig.jpg
information is written in local slovenian language and english, based on time interval for each one https://img.rtvslo.si/_up/upload/2016/0 ... cesta4.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DVbGd_WXcAAtSFJ.jpg
https://img.rtvslo.si/_up/upload/2016/0 ... _fp-xl.jpg
- In Slovenia we have tranzit signage for trucks: There could be up to 3 cities / directions written + truck silhouette with 7,5 t on it .... https://www.google.si/maps/@45.6077202, ... authuser=0
- Exits from highway or motorway are marked like this, blue for motorway and green for highway + exit number ... https://static.primorske.si/foto/thumb/ ... TA12-1.jpg
- Newly build highway part (2 lanes each way) is A4 from south of Maribor / Ptuj to border pass Gruškovje.
- Aditional regional roads that are important for trucks are: no. 7 (Kozina - Starod), no. 6 (Postojna - Jelšane), no. 2 (Ptuj - Trnovec), no. 106 (Ljubljana - Kočevje).
- Licence plates have the following format: green edge arround whole plate, blue EU strip with SLO on it, 2 digit city code, coat of arms, 2 random letters, 3 random numbers .... City code __(coat of arms) __ AA - 111
A = Any random letter A - Z (excluded Č, Ž, Š, J, X, Y, W, Q)
1= Any random number 0 - 9
City codes: KP, GO, PO, LJ, KR, NM, KK, CE, MB, MS, SG
Coat of arms are basicly regions / towns inside specific city code ... the list you can find here (looking only at coat of arms) --> geografske registracijske oznake https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registrac ... _Sloveniji
The trucks and trailers follow the same format. So here are some good examples: https://www.recar.si/wp-content/uploads ... ablice.jpg https://www.lokalpatrioti-rijeka.com/fo ... hp?id=7884
Only exception is LJ city code with 2 additional formats: LJ (coat of arms) 111 - AA, and LJ (coat of arms) 11 - AAA ... following the same structure where 1 is any random number and A any random letter. But again, ONLY IN Ljubljana CITY CODE !


What not to include
- regional road in European corridor E61 from Basovizza (ITA) - Kozina (SLO) .... why? Because vehicles over 3,5 tones are not allowed there anymore. Btw. Streetview has old footage of signs allowing this in 2013 ...
Found some proof's ... ( https://static.primorske.si/foto/highre ... TABLA2.jpg )
- Bled ... this is totaly touristic town, no significant or rather no trucking signific at all
- Brežice ... not worth for trucking
- Postojna ... some smaller companies, but not so trucking interested
- Sežana, Lendava, Ilirska Bistrica ... some SME companies but again, not so meaningfull in terms of trucking
- Izola, Portorož / Piran .... no trucking importance at all. Trucks barely passes there

CONCLUSION
Slovenia is small, and even in 1:19 even smaller. What I wrote is just what "could" fit inside it's borders, and what is really relevant for transport & logistic bussines. As a mapper of Project Balkans (feel free to check what we included in our Slovenian part of the map) I can help you with all the informations you might need, with picures and everything.
Im working in that transport & logistic branche, so Im pretty much informed about related stuff + travelled almost whole country. Feel free to contact me for more info's

[Guguz]

@oggich yes, the city of Trieste belongs to Italy

[galimim]

Since I live close to Ljubljana I though I'd give it a go to emphasise some parts important for trucking and industry
[ external image ]

Going from north to south:
1) Industrijska cona (Industrial district/zone) Ježa/Industrijska cona Črnuče: Along Brnčičeva there are quite a few industrial estates from logistic depos to specialised shops, as well as MAN dealer.

2) Industrijska cona Šiška: Here you can find some big industries, LEK (pharmaceutical industry), Litostroj (Litostroj power http://www.litostrojpower.com/ makes turbines and parts for power plants), LTH Castings (https://www.lthcastings.com/)

3) BTC or Blagovno trgovinski center: Biggest shopping centre in Slovenia. All along Letališka Cesta it is also surrounded by industries, most notably Hella Saturnus (https://www.hella.com/hella-si/index.html) that make car lights, a whole bunch of warehouses (Spar distribution centre) and specialised industries. Also a place where one of the biggest transport companies in the country has its headquarters (http://www.intereuropa.si/en/)

4) Industrijska cona Rudnik: A smallest of districts, but important non the less, since it was a place where Viator & Vector had its headquarters. They were the biggest transport company at some time, but in the financial crisis of 08 they went under.

[KoperSLO]

@galimim
Intereuropa's HQ are located in Koper, in the double bussines complex called Intereuropa, right next to the port entry
And also forgot to mention Industry zone Vič / Ljubljana zahod, where Scania and Renault Trucks dealers are

[galimim]

Oh I just know they have a building at Letališka 35. I had no idea they moved HQ.

As far as Vič, I did not include it since its so small that the 1/19 scale makes it impossible to implement. I also did not mention Volvo dealer at Sneberje

[Matej91]

Be careful to not use the old police car models, since 2014 the colours of the police cars are as follows:

Most common City patrol car: Škoda Octavia 2017 [ external image ]
Schengen border patrol car: Renault Megane 2014 [ external image ]

[KoperSLO]

Forgot to add one important thing ... took extra picture for you guys

When you approach the slovenian country border or on the (ex) border complex you will see such signs

[ external image ]

You will find those kind of sings in all 4 countries that Slovenia borders with --> Hungary, Austria, Italy and Croatia.
The pedaggio word varies depending on the language. For example, this picure was taken in Italy ... the toll remains in all cases there, no matter the coutry.
The numbers beneath are ... is lower or equal 3,5 t | is higher than 3,5 t