BMW Car Club Forum Homepage
The BMW Car Club
of Great Britain & Ireland
Forum Rules
Contact Forum Admin
Join the Club
Forum Home Forum Home > General Club Forum > Foreign Travel
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - French Road Signs
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

*** BMW Car Club GB website - see https://bmwcarclubgb.uk/ ***

*** Looking to buy or sell? ~ Checkout our BMW Car Club GB classifieds ***


French Road Signs

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Mike Fishwick View Drop Down
Forum Member
Forum Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 2742
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike Fishwick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: French Road Signs
    Posted: 04 Apr 2015 at 9:31am
A recent discussion on Zroadster.net prompted me to make the following reply, which may be of interest to those new to driving in France - it took me a few trips to realise it!

Les Francais use town names for signposts, not the road numbers we are used to in the UK. This is a good thing, because they tend to downgrade old 'N' roads to 'D' status with a new first digit added on, which changes as the 'D' road it passes into different departments. It is very logical, as - hopefully - we know where we are going, but may not know the road number used to get there.

This makes it far easier to navigate than the signs we have when joining the M25 from the M3, for example, where it only gives you a choice of airports - Heathrow or Gatwick - with no hint of 'Dover,' 'Birmingham, 'North,'or 'South.' Those without a grasp of airport locations are not catered for - and there are plenty of those around!

In a similar way, I always wonder what foreign drivers make of the 'Low Emission Zone' signs on M25 for the roads into London - I do not understand it either! The same comment also applies to the Dartford Crossing, which seems designed to confuse and provide reasons to prosecute European visitors.

On the subject of French road signs, remember also that a sign pointing left - if on the right hand side of a road - means 'Straight on!' A sign pointing left sited on the left of a road means 'Left!' It took me ages to realise this . . .



Edited by Mike Fishwick - 04 Apr 2015 at 9:39am
A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
Back to Top
Sponsored Links
BMW Car Club Forum Homepage

Back to Top
safe1 View Drop Down
Club Member
Club Member
Avatar
BMWCC Club President

Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1426
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote safe1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2015 at 5:12pm
Hi Mike--Would We not do a little research firstly?--and logon to "Via Michelin" which is an example of how to advise a "Newbie" at European driving routes---without a nightmare Clap
Gofastsafe
Back to Top
Mike Fishwick View Drop Down
Forum Member
Forum Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 2742
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike Fishwick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2015 at 9:16am
I am amazed at how many people do NOT do any research, John - hence the problems with road direction signs and Priorite a Droit!  Neither of these are really spelt out, particularly Priorite, people making the reasonable assumption that all roadsigns are international.

The UK still has a few of the old 'X' signs for railway crossings, which are the same as the French sign for a priorite a droit junction

Via Michelin etc give routes, but it all depends on what people want to see - to follow a website route is rather like following a satnav route - talking of which I know several peole who no longer carry a map, regarding them as 'old fashioned,' and have heard of a few who have neither, just relying on the driver in front to lead them.  It is of course possible to reach Istambul by following a few city names, but I would not reccommend it!
A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.03
Copyright ©2001-2019 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.125 seconds.