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Using French Autoroutes |
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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Posted: 01 Apr 2015 at 3:42pm |
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Many Brits have an aversion to being charged for using the
French autoroutes, the usual reason being that les Francais do not pay for use
of the magnificent British motorway system.
Quite apart from the fact that most UK motorways are so bad that we
should be paid to use them, it depends on how the construction of the autoroutes
was paid for. Private investors were apparently not interested in areas where the earning potential was going to be low, forcing the state to provide funding. On the other hand areas of high traffic density, such as autoroute rings around cites where several autoroutes join, would grind to a halt if brought into the peage system, forcing a mixture of state funding and subsidy. This is why some rural portions of the autoroute system are free, good examples being the A75 south of Clermont-Ferrand (a truly great road, with bends, hills, and striking views – all very non-motorway) and the A20 south of Orleans (between Vierzon and Souillac). Most areas around large cities are also free. The Michelin maps give a good guide to the payment status of these roads. Obviously, certain sections of road should be avoided like le plague, such as the N6 between Paris and Lyons, and the N7 from Lyons to Avignon - particularly during the holiday season! Generally speaking, expect mayhem on the autoroutes radiating from Paris, changing to anarchy as one becomes closer to the capital. This means that if you plan your route carefully, mixing peage and free autoroutes with good ‘N’ roads (many of which are now classified as ‘D’ roads, but often provide magnificent traffic-free driving) you can enjoy driving across France without paying too much in the process. For example, my usual run from Calais to the Dordogne (via Rouen, Evereux, Chartres, Orleans, Chateauroux, Limoges, and Souillac) costs 23 Euros, a level which has been stable for at least ten years, the 'N' road sections using dual carraigeway almost exclusively. Food is generally very good, and available at quite reasonable prices - one of the regulars is ham, sliced in a generous helping before your eyes and served with a choice of sauces, vegetables and potatoes for about £6-£7.
As one would expect, fuel on the autoroutes is more expensive than in supermarkets. The pumps usually have hoses of sufficient length to pass around the back of a car to reach a filler on the right hand side of most cars, so avoiding the usual UK queue of cars on the left hand side of a pump. After filling, the accepted procedure is to move your car away from the pumps, and park before paying. In some aires, at peak tourist periods, a cashier may be available in the pump area. Exits are generally not signed as well as in the UK, often being a small white sign which is easily missed, particularly if overtaking a truck. In areas where there are a lot of exits it pays to know the exit before the one you want, in order to be prepared. Do not rely on a satnav to give you adequate notice, but write such information on a route card. On the Parisian Boulevard Peripherique the exits are all named - Porte d'Orleans - Porte d'Italie etc, which makes navigation easier. Features such as rivers often provide another handy prompt. A feature which we always miss on the UK motorways are the regular rest stops, or 'Aires,' providing toilets and picnic areas with wooden benches etc between the 'Aire de Services.' These provide a welcome opportunity for a loo break, a picnic lunch, a snooze, or just a walk, but as they do not generate revenue I doubt if we will ever see them in the UK. Toilets are usually very clean, although occasionally the hommmes or dames facilities may be closed for cleaning or maintenance, when everyone shares! The over-modest Brits and Americans are usually horrified by this practice, but after all, we share facilities at home, don't we? When you have to go, you have to go! I was asked if the French autoroutes gave sufficient time
for a visiting British driver to get back to his right-hand-drive car after
paying the Peage toll fee, before the barrier was lowered again. There are no such problems - the barrier will not come down again until the car has passed under it, and they do not cut fibreglass cars or stretched limos in half either! A friend with a Daimler SP250 still has a whole car . . . Take great care when pulling to the right, for many drivers think they must accellerate as hard as possible on leaving the barriers! For this reason it is best to make your initial accquaintance with les Autoroutes by using the RH lane. Keep to the right if possible, to avoid getting involved in a drag race with the locals as you leave, and also to be able to pull into the parking area if you want to rearrange your credit card or wallet, or safely store your ticket. As you approach the exit point peage booths you will have ample warning by the progressively lower speed limits - remember that they are there for a purpose,and that failure to obey them is regarded as a speeding offence. There is often a small gendarmerie on the other side of the peage booths, so expect speed checks in these areas.
Most other autoroute lanes are marked with an orange 'T' and a green
arrow, and can be used by Telepeage or cash users. Those marked with an
orange 'T' and symbols denoting credit cards (or the legend 'Cartres du Credit') can be used by both Telepeage
customers and those paying by any credit card, or French ‘Carte Bleu’ debit
cards. Sometimes you will see a lane (usually on the extreme right) marked 'Monnie,' with a legend showing coins and notes, which is reserved for those paying in cash only. The company which manages
the Telepeage system, SANEF, now holds the franchise for the Dartford Crossing,
and have hinted that they may apply the same system, rather than the clumsy internet
and ANPR-based payment system which they inherited. It is possible, therefore, that Telepeage may soon come to the UK
– just wait for the whines of protest from the Little Englanders . . . Edited by Mike Fishwick - 04 Apr 2015 at 10:53am |
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BrianW
Club Member Joined: 10 Nov 2008 Location: West Sussex Status: Offline Points: 265 |
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Thanks for the very useful info, Mike.
I only use French Auto Routes when I have to, I prefer to drive on normal French roads and enjoy the scenery not flashing past at 80 mph I do that on the Autobahn. Plus of course normal French road surfaces are a hundred times better than ours. Also if you only use the Auto Routes you miss so much of rural France.
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Roger123
Club Member Joined: 03 Aug 2013 Location: Oxfordshire Status: Offline Points: 231 |
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Some very useful info in there Mike - thanks indeed. I've printed off your message so I can study it in conjunction with my map of France. You don't do one for Spain, by any chance...?!
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issus
Region Chair Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Location: Northants Status: Offline Points: 1337 |
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Good article and also good to see you doing what you do best. Actually I love the French MWays generally free from traffic. Your description of the more scenic routes is very useful. regards |
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E46 320d Sport Myst Blue 054 reg - probably the best BMW ever
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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Living in the Dordogne I go to Spain down the A20 via Toulouse and Perpignan to the south coast, but after Valencia I use a lot of the ordinary roads, particularly around lunchtime (1 - 2 pm) when the roadside restaurants are open. As lunch continues to about 4 pm these roads are very quiet in early afternoon.
Spanish motorway food seems to be the worst! |
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I_MNL
Club Member Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Location: Driving in car Status: Offline Points: 200 |
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Indeed! Once I was travelling in my Jaguar and I stopped at the barrier and I got out to get pay for the ticket after I turned the engine off. When I went back to car, it would not start straight away and then the J-gate gear lever would not move...eventually took me nearly 1 min to get going. I still have the car in one piece fully operational
Indeed! Also, I tend to put my alarms on to show to other drivers so that they do not get stuck behind me. If they do, then when I get out, I wave and smile to them with a friendly theatrical gesture. Usually they smile back. |
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And the name is Marie-Noëlle or nick name MNL! NOT Marie or Noëlle alone
Citizen of Earth...Explorer of Life! |
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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Yes, for a people of supposed Latin blood, les Francais are fairly unemotional on the road - particularly when compared to the Brits! In similar circumstances in the UK I can imagine long queues being produced in seconds, breeding horn-blowing, gesticulations, road rage etc.
After 11 years of living in France I find myself becoming quite agitated at the prospect of driving in the UK, amongst agressive and inattentive drivers - the anarchy begines when leaving the ferry at Dover, trying to get to the customs hall before anyone else etc! Perhaps it a product of the great importance which during their upbringing is placed on having good manners. We live near a holiday centre for young children from St.Denis, one of the porer parts of Paris, who always wish us 'Bonjour' and stand aside for us to pass . . . not like the UK at all! Edited by Mike Fishwick - 17 May 2015 at 10:10am |
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Simon E Brookes
Club Member Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28 |
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An alternative to paying at each individual toll is to purchase a Sanef Tag.
To use the service all you need to do is register on the dedicated UK website and Sanef will send you a small electronic transponder (tag) that you attach to your windscreen just behind the rear-view mirror. As you approach the barriers, a device by the barrier will read your transponder (tag), securely extract your unique reference and then automatically open the barrier without you having to stop and manually pay the toll. You will receive an invoice the following month and then around 15 days later Sanef will automatically collect the payment in £ (GBP) from your bank account via Direct Debit in the UK. Sanef administer this service from Harrogate. It's been fantastic for me as I regularly rack up 1,400 mile round trips in France and not only does it saves time but is far more convenient and I receive a fully itemised invoice summarising my toll use. Incidentally, Sanef are now also responsible for the Dartford Crossing. |
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Simon E Brookes
Club Member Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28 |
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Link to Sanef below:
https://www.saneftolling.co.uk
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Simon E Brookes
Club Member Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28 |
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And I forgot to mention, many carparks in France are linked to the system, so parking can be paid for again using the Tag account and will be invoiced/charged later.
Very useful!
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issus
Region Chair Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Location: Northants Status: Offline Points: 1337 |
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Simon is spot on about Sanef - very useful indeed. I don't quite agree with MF on French road behaviour . I can remember a very impatient and aggressive queue of Fremchman at the Orlleans M/way service station & myself and eldest daughter having to confront two French youths! Agree about French roads though miles better! Never found our native traffic behaviour quite as bad as MF makes out. Certainly tail gating is still widely practised in France. The French mortality rate thru' road accidents is higher ithan the UK! Always relieved when I make it back to UK
Edited by issus - 17 May 2015 at 11:25am |
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E46 320d Sport Myst Blue 054 reg - probably the best BMW ever
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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It depends on what one regards as 'normal!' I find that the French are less agressive and more predictable than the Brits, who I find are similar to Dartmoor sheep - they meander along in their own little world, not paying attention to anything, until something unexpected occurs, after which they become quite unpredictable!
In fact French road casualties are not that much higher than the UK, but pedestrian casualties are about half, particularly those of children - they are trained from an early age NOT to think that they lead a charmed life on the road, becoming a target when they step off the pavement! As in the UK, most road deaths take place in large built-up areas, where a 30 mph limit does nothing to counteract inattention and agression - not to mention alcohol, drugs, and of course Priorite a Droit! One thing which does not help at all is that to pass a driving test one is required to drive with levels of what we would consider insufficient caution and anticipation. Hazard perception and anticipation are skills which are not included in the syllabus of any driving school! At least their lane discipline on autoroutes is an object lesson to the Brits. Tailgating is not such a problem as one is led to believe, but they are trained to close up before overtaking, so if you are not going fast enough be prepared for this - the answer is of course to let the French overtake you - do not try to race with the locals, for like Johnny English they no no fear or danger! They are also taught to drive withtheir offside wheels on the centre of the road . . . at least in a RHD car we can move rapidly and accurately to the extreme side of the road! One thing which is assured, I am afraid, is a steady lowering of driving standards and road behaviour, due to a problem which all EU countries now have - but refuse to recognise - in the influx of un-or poorly-trained drivers from eastern Europe and the Third World, most of whom are able to exchange their Khazakstan/Somalia/Pakistani/Nigeria etc licence for a nice new licence in their new country of residence, without passing a test. We have all seen poor behaviour in both the UK and France, but should not assume that a couple of week's experience provides a realistic picture. Edited by Mike Fishwick - 17 May 2015 at 1:48pm |
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Norrie
Club Member Joined: 15 Jul 2012 Status: Offline Points: 4047 |
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Mike F, super article and very helpful, off to St Avold from Calais and the on to Munich end of June and three weeks before from Calais to Venlo.
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mjn77
Club Member Joined: 22 Jul 2016 Location: Herts, UK Status: Offline Points: 126 |
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The French are awful drivers!
Tailgaters, agressive and are quite happy to drive absolute wrecks on the motorway. Only thing they're good at is lane discipline! |
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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Les Francais are not agressive, but can be intolerant! Their habit of sounding the horm is simply a sign that you should be more decisive, and their (now not as bad as it was!) tendancy to tailgate a little is due to them not being taught about the evils of following too close, coupled with a lot of then driving hopeless little cars and their obsession to overtake everything on the road! They therefore think that reducing their exposure to oncoming traffic is best done by being close to the car in front - they do not realise that if they hung back a bit they would have more time to wind up their elastic!
Driving wrecks? Not often, as they are generally keen on buying new cars - by French manufacturers, naturellement - no Chinese or other oriental makes, Dacia (Renault) being about the only foreign cars seen in quantity - even VW, Mercedes, and BMW are minority tastes. Believe me - after twelve years of driving in France, I feel far more apprehension about driving in the UK, where agression begins at Dover ferryport, and most drivers are more interested with their electronic toys and texting than driving - and as for aggression, remember who invented Road Rage! |
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mjn77
Club Member Joined: 22 Jul 2016 Location: Herts, UK Status: Offline Points: 126 |
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The craziest overtaking moves i have seen have all been in France. Hence when i drive in France, i always see plenty of crashes, especially in the wet. They don't change their driving for the conditions.
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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You obviously do not drive where I do! Apart frm a few cars leaving the road at modest speeds on ice, I have seen only a couple of bad crashes - and these have been in the Paris area . . .
They sometimes do cut their safety margins to the bone when overtaking, but always seem to get away with it, due to the low traffic density, and the co-operation shown by other drivers. Anyone overtaking like this in the UK would find that gaps are closed up - to 'Teach them a lesson' - and so almost cause a crash. Do the Brits change their driving style in poor weather conditions? Not that I have seen, for every winter lots of them whine if they go off the road and it is deemed that insufficient salt etc has been laid to enable them to drive like loonies regardless on normal warm-weather tyres. Even in basic rain, the usual UK practice is to follow to closely, without moderating speed. For all their faults, the French are not auditioning for a remake of Death Race 2000, and are fine to drive with - certainly no worse than most Brits, who get away with their various faults due to their usual 40 mph crawling speed, both in and out of town! |
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