Toll Booths
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Elliot Davies
New member
watch your speed in between them........ ££££££££ [
]
they are timed, if your foot gets a bit heavy stop for a leg stretch at the many rest areas
]they are timed, if your foot gets a bit heavy stop for a leg stretch at the many rest areas
juliany27
New member
For goodness' sake take note of what Elliott has advised. Normally, near a toll booth/exit, there is somewhere to stop and rest and you will frequently see owners of more powerful cars and bikes [which have usually passed you at high speed] 'resting' to get their average speed between entrance and exit down to a lawful time.
Enjoy the driving.
Enjoy the driving.
A Clift
New member
Some of them (apparently) have a booth on the right hand side, but I never found one last year. In that case your only choice is whether to run round the front of your car or the back to reach the booth and pay. It's a real pain (especially in busy traffic). I'll endorse the comments about speed traps - watch it.
Yes, it can be a real pain without a passenger in the left seat. Fortunately for me I use a Citroen C5 (cheap French deisel) for going to French Alps so it's easy to slide my bum over onto the left seat to reach the booths.
]
The first toll booth on the A26 out of Calais have right hand ticket dispensers after that tuff! [
]
A Clift
New member
Some of the toll plazas are stuffed with les flics. I think it could be only when they are in attendance that note is taken of your entry and exit times. However as all the tickets have these times recorded, by the time you see whether les flics are in attendance or not - you're stuffed. For extreme speeds, they have the power to impound your car (can't remember whether they crush it or auction it). Your money, your choice.
Hi
Some very good advice here regarding our french law enforcement cousins!
Generally speaking the French toll roads are safe and very well equipped - as Julian says, pull into the 'Aires' (rest areas) for fuel or a coffee/rest to bring your average speed down if you do hoof it.
But also remember that radar detectors/speed camera detectors are illegal, and you can be fined and them confiscated even if they are not plugged in, so don't take one with you. I am aware of instances where brit sports cars have been pulled over just to see if they have them in the car!
The 'Peages' (toll roads) used to be a place where you could zip along with impunity (if you were sensible) but no more! The French police were tasked about 2-3 yrs ago with bringing down the (high) death toll on the roads and a campaign has been ongoing since (with it has to be said some success).
I often zip down to SofFr and if you are using the Rennes/Nantes/Bordeaux/Carcassonne route then pay ESPECIAL attention when around Nantes (both north and south) as last time I was over I was nearly nabbed but just noticed the blue clio parked under a tree up a service road (radar time trap) and reduced my speed quickly just as a brit Pug estate whipped by at about 110mph. Around long sweeper corner were 2 interceptor bikes, one of whom nabbed the Pug and the other just gave me a long hard stare as I wafted by at 90kmh. The time before they were also operating traps on this section of peage, and they nearly had me then as well, so please be warned!
I'm off again end of June, so lets hope it's not 3rd time lucky for 'les flics'.
Generally speaking I find the area south of Bordeaux-Carcassonne to be more lightly policed, but they are still out there. Favourite is to hide up the exit road from an aire and wait for speeders to flash by without seeing them, and then power off after them - bit like a messerschitt ([]) out of the sun! I always take a quick glance in my wing mirror passing places like that to be sure. UK cars are considered fair game, so be alert.
By the way, please note that speed restrictions do not (apparently)apply to white Electricite de France (EDF) Twingos as they hammer past at the ton, tappets thrashing out an SOS while the 'pilot' has one arm over the back of the passenger seat or is holding onto a salami baguette![]
Of course, you can always play dumb and hope they get fed up and leave you alone if stopped, but unfortunately most of them speak pretty good English.
You can always try 'S'il vous plait, frappe le singe sur mon tete' or 'Oui, mes pantalons sont au plein de fromage' with a huge smile, but can't guarantee it'll get you off![]
Real tip though - always be respectful and don't rant or shout - I have some friends who are Gendarmes and they say the first sign of any lip and it's 'you're nicked son' and an even bigger fine![]
Don't forget to take car documents (I usually take a colour photocopy of them) licence, plus first aid kit/triangle and fluoro safety vest (now compulsory).
Have a great drive and enjoy your holiday!
Rob[]
Some very good advice here regarding our french law enforcement cousins!
Generally speaking the French toll roads are safe and very well equipped - as Julian says, pull into the 'Aires' (rest areas) for fuel or a coffee/rest to bring your average speed down if you do hoof it.
But also remember that radar detectors/speed camera detectors are illegal, and you can be fined and them confiscated even if they are not plugged in, so don't take one with you. I am aware of instances where brit sports cars have been pulled over just to see if they have them in the car!
The 'Peages' (toll roads) used to be a place where you could zip along with impunity (if you were sensible) but no more! The French police were tasked about 2-3 yrs ago with bringing down the (high) death toll on the roads and a campaign has been ongoing since (with it has to be said some success).
I often zip down to SofFr and if you are using the Rennes/Nantes/Bordeaux/Carcassonne route then pay ESPECIAL attention when around Nantes (both north and south) as last time I was over I was nearly nabbed but just noticed the blue clio parked under a tree up a service road (radar time trap) and reduced my speed quickly just as a brit Pug estate whipped by at about 110mph. Around long sweeper corner were 2 interceptor bikes, one of whom nabbed the Pug and the other just gave me a long hard stare as I wafted by at 90kmh. The time before they were also operating traps on this section of peage, and they nearly had me then as well, so please be warned!
I'm off again end of June, so lets hope it's not 3rd time lucky for 'les flics'.
Generally speaking I find the area south of Bordeaux-Carcassonne to be more lightly policed, but they are still out there. Favourite is to hide up the exit road from an aire and wait for speeders to flash by without seeing them, and then power off after them - bit like a messerschitt ([
]) out of the sun! I always take a quick glance in my wing mirror passing places like that to be sure. UK cars are considered fair game, so be alert.By the way, please note that speed restrictions do not (apparently)apply to white Electricite de France (EDF) Twingos as they hammer past at the ton, tappets thrashing out an SOS while the 'pilot' has one arm over the back of the passenger seat or is holding onto a salami baguette![
]Of course, you can always play dumb and hope they get fed up and leave you alone if stopped, but unfortunately most of them speak pretty good English.
You can always try 'S'il vous plait, frappe le singe sur mon tete' or 'Oui, mes pantalons sont au plein de fromage' with a huge smile, but can't guarantee it'll get you off![
]Real tip though - always be respectful and don't rant or shout - I have some friends who are Gendarmes and they say the first sign of any lip and it's 'you're nicked son' and an even bigger fine![
]Don't forget to take car documents (I usually take a colour photocopy of them) licence, plus first aid kit/triangle and fluoro safety vest (now compulsory).
Have a great drive and enjoy your holiday!
Rob[
]
Hi Kevin
Also, don't forget to change your digital speedo over to KM/H - very useful over there.
Rob
Also, don't forget to change your digital speedo over to KM/H - very useful over there.
Rob
Guest
New member
Dear All,
In France, Police Forces don't (DO NOT) calculate average speed beetween 2 tolls, its' a myth!
The ONLY method they use is RADARS:
* Fixed: very well advertised / used on Motorways ( = "A" roads) and large roads (= "N" roads)
* Mobile: usually on Motorways, they put them just before the tolls (= 1 or 2 km before the toll, beside or on a bridge); on others roads (large = "N" roads and smaller roads = "D") these are when you reach a city / town & when speed limit change from 90Km/h to 50Km/h
Fixed Radars = No Problem! there's no link, for the time being, between French & British Police Info System...
Mobile = they will ask you to pay the fine on the spot... BUT, you won't get any points from your licence!
Now, don't forget Police Forces are Civil Servants, so if you drive early in the morning and / or late in the evening... you can consider to be safe!
Now for the Toll Fees, you can order a small device from the Motorway Company Web Sites (= SANEF, SAPRR, ASF, etc.) and use the dedicated toll lanes "TelePeage" . Then, once a month you'll receive a statement and you'll be able to pay with your Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.). This solution is very time effective (less people on these lanes, quicker process) and quite cheap (if I remember well €2.00 per month, for the device).
BTW, Re: French Law etc., I think I'm pretty well documented: French citizen (40 years in France) with a Master Degree in Law...
Thanks!
Fab
In France, Police Forces don't (DO NOT) calculate average speed beetween 2 tolls, its' a myth!
The ONLY method they use is RADARS:
* Fixed: very well advertised / used on Motorways ( = "A" roads) and large roads (= "N" roads)
* Mobile: usually on Motorways, they put them just before the tolls (= 1 or 2 km before the toll, beside or on a bridge); on others roads (large = "N" roads and smaller roads = "D") these are when you reach a city / town & when speed limit change from 90Km/h to 50Km/h
Fixed Radars = No Problem! there's no link, for the time being, between French & British Police Info System...
Mobile = they will ask you to pay the fine on the spot... BUT, you won't get any points from your licence!
Now, don't forget Police Forces are Civil Servants, so if you drive early in the morning and / or late in the evening... you can consider to be safe!
Now for the Toll Fees, you can order a small device from the Motorway Company Web Sites (= SANEF, SAPRR, ASF, etc.) and use the dedicated toll lanes "TelePeage" . Then, once a month you'll receive a statement and you'll be able to pay with your Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.). This solution is very time effective (less people on these lanes, quicker process) and quite cheap (if I remember well €2.00 per month, for the device).
BTW, Re: French Law etc., I think I'm pretty well documented: French citizen (40 years in France) with a Master Degree in Law...
Thanks!
Fab
For anyone else thinking of a trip to France, here is a very useful website, listing radar traps by region, plus plenty of other interesting info on fines etc.
Also of note is that our French cousins also now have access to use of laser speed detection devices, probably similar to the Teletraffic 20/20 models used by British forces. Much more accurate than radar and more difficult to detect - be warned![&:]
http://www.controleradar.org/en.html
Rob
Also of note is that our French cousins also now have access to use of laser speed detection devices, probably similar to the Teletraffic 20/20 models used by British forces. Much more accurate than radar and more difficult to detect - be warned![&:]
http://www.controleradar.org/en.html
Rob
sawood12
New member
I would like to reinforce what Fab says about average speed calculations in France. They don't actively do it although they do have the infrastructure and technology in place to do so if you use the electronic tagging method where you can just drive through the booth without stopping. These systems could easily be used to calculate average speed if the authoroties decided to do so but if you are only an infrequent visitor to Francy you are unlikely to be using that system and you are more likely to be using the coin booths where they don't have the ability to identify your car. I've a mate who's been living in France for the last 10 yrs and he drives like a lunatic and has never been done for speeding or even stopped by the Rozzers.
Be specially careful on the autoroutes heading back to the channel ports. In the last couple of years we have seen the guys with radar guns in small vans parked in the bushes a few miles before the peage pay booths. And at the booths les flics were pulling over les naughty rosbifs en masse!
Dapster
New member
In this month's Evo mag, a journo got zapped doing about 30 mph over the limit in a UK registered Merc CLS - they escorted him off the autoroute and gave him an instant 15 day ban - necessitating Evo having to send out another driver to recover the car and continue the test. Can't remember the exact details but read the editors column at the front for a sobering intro.
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