Using French Autoroutes

[Mike Fishwick]

With summer approaching I thought those about to drive in France for the first time may appreciate a little advance information about the French autoroutes - I recently wrote this for the BMW Car Club:

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.

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.

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.

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.

A feature which we always miss on the UK motorways is 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!

Basically, on entry to a peage road you will stop at a barrier where you must collect a ticket, sometimes by pressing a button. The barrier will then rise, and will not fall until you have driven away. If you are feeling flustered by this new experience, carefully pull to the right and enter the parking area which is usually provided - if there is no parking area, DO NOT STOP, as everything after the barrier is an autoroute!

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.

At the start of the A16 peage zone outside Boulogne payment machines are obligingly provided on both sides of the RH lane, specially for puzzled Brits! It is assumed that by the time you leave the autoroute you will have come to terms with the system.

If travelling without a passenger, don't feel guilty about holding up traffic while you walk around the car to collect a ticket or make payment - the French will appreciate your situation, and are quite considerate - but a smile and a wave goes a long way.

Just avoid the lanes marked only as 'Telepeage,' (usually on the extreme left) which are denoted by an orange 'T' as these are only for drivers with a transponder - we have one on each car. so can just drive in and leave payment to the electronic gremlins, who use a monthly direct debit on our bank account. Users of British bank accounts can now also open a Telepeage account, but it is probably not worth the trouble unless you visit France frequently.

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 . . .

[Boosh]

Hi Mike,
I would've needed a similar introduction to UK motorways when I came over, almost 15 years ago, now.
If I may, I would also mention the difference in signage on motorways, and how French signs bear the name of the town at the end of their course. Indeed, you can drive around Paris and see signs saying 'Lille' (right up north), or 'Marseille' (down south, near the Italian border), for example.
Also, not to put anybody off, insertion lanes to get onto French motorways tend to not be quite as easy as some British ones where a dual lane would be split in two, inserting one lane a couple of hundred yards before the other.
But as you mentioned, a smile and a wave, coupled with the novelty factor (as you get deeper into French France) of a driver on the wrong side of the car, should revive the relatively friendly nature of the locals...

Boosh.

[Zedona]

Hi Mike
You are obviously not aware we will not have Telepeage at the Dartford Crossing.
The tolls have been removed and replaced by number plate recognition. One has to pay in advance.
there are various systems. I have an account, but you can pay at various shops, by mobile phone and up to 24 hours
after,by those methods. The system is much the same as the London Congestion Charge. Fines for none payment.

[Mike Fishwick]

Yes - 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, and also change the first digit of a 'D' road as 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 frm 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!

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 . . .

I did in fact refer to the internet/ANPR system at the Dartford crossing - but on their website SANEF replied to a query regarding the possible future use of transponders, as in France, with the cryptic comment 'Watch this space!' It is far more convenient that having to arrange individual payment, or trust the computer system.

Driving from Dover to the M40 I always wonder what foreign drivers make of the 'Low Emission Zone' signs on 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 have reason to prosecute European visitors. Anyway, as the moment these gestapo organisations cannot touch us, for the UK has refused to sign the agreement enabling cross-border policing of traffic offences. Explaining this, the DfT stated that 'Our first priority is to protect the interests of British drivers . . .'

[peter2b]

First time I went to Le mans in my kit car was an eye open trying to get out of a 4 point harness in a 7 type of car to pay at the first toll took a bit if practice
Peter2b

[pingu]

First time I went to Le mans in my kit car was an eye open trying to get out of a 4 point harness in a 7 type of car to pay at the first toll took a bit if practice
Peter2b

I used to have similar problems in the UK with my LHD Smart Car .

[Davejue1]

Thanks Mike for the write up. I used to go to France every year as a child as my father was head of languages and taught French and German so liked to keep his skills up. Myself and the wife adopted a love for France and are returning this year for the 3rd time. The first two visits we did with our caravan which we no longer have but this time were going in the Zed and travelling further down to chantonnay in the Loire. Always happy to read a few tips on how to get on on another countries roads. As for Dartford, I unfortunately have to cross this several times a week and although while the works are being undertaken to set up the new system it still needs a hell of a lot of improvement. It is the single biggest pain in the a** in my job and I'll be glad when they've got it finished. The biggest thing I look forward to is to get out of this god godforsaken country and move to France!!

[Mike Fishwick]

In spite of their reputation as hot-blooded latins, I find the French to be quite laid-back about driving, and get quite apprehensive before a trip to the UK - agression starts when leaving the ferry at Dover - people seem to think that they HAVE to get to the customs hall before anyone else!