Toll gate in summer
Remember in July and August, traffic can be very dense !
Autoroutes are the same as a freeway or motorway. In France, many of the main Autoroutes have toll fees to pay ("Péage"). The autoroutes use a numbering system with the letter A at the beginning such as the famous A6 ("l'autoroute du soleil").
The different autoroutes are owned by various companies, so you will generally pay more than one toll to get across France. The price depends on your vehicle and the distance driven. You can pay by cash or credit card. Traffic can be very dense at certain times of the year, so prepare your dates and avoid traveling on the same days as the French holiday calendar. There is also a very good radios station which broadcasts information 24/7 on FM 107.7 on all motorways in France, providing up to date details of traffic conditions, alerts and deviations.
The speed limit on all French motoways is 130 kmh on dry roads, 110 kmh on wet roads. Normally when there is "fog" the limit is 50 kmh, but nobody seems to respect this. On a national road the limit is 90 kmh whlst in urban areas there is a 50 kmh restriction.
During the last few years there has been a huge amount of automatic radars installed all over France on the autoroutes and also minor roads. This is an attempt to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on the roads. The project is successful as there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of killed.
The Autoroutes
The official web site grouping all the autoroutes together, there is a map, estimation of toll costs, web cams, traffic situation.
Just as a note, if you breakdown on the Autoroute, you will have to pay to be towed off and it you may be fined for running out of petrol.
- Societe des Autoroutes Paris Normandie
- SANEF, Northern Autorutes
- Societe des Autoroutes Paris Rhone Rhine
- ASF, Autoroutes Sud France
- Cofiroute, Western France
- Escota, South East France
- Area, Rhone Alps
- ATMB, Autoroute tunnel Mont Blanc
- Traffic information and prices for the Autoroutes
Roads
The other road categories are National roads (N1), Departemental
(D15) and then Communal (C15). The highwaycode rule of Priority
to the right
still exists on the smaller roads and in urban areas,
so beware and if you are not sure Giveway to traffic coming from
the right.
Planning your route
Mappy provides a complete itineraries for most towns in France with toll costs, distances and journey times.
Michelin, the famous hotel, restaurant guide also provides excellent maps and route plans for any journey across France.
How the radar work
The automatic radar has been installed along many roads and autoroutes. They are set to take a photograph of the number plate on the offending vehicle, if it is 5 kmh above the limit for maximum speed allowed in the zone. The radar will send the photograph to a central office, the address of the owner of the vehicle matching the number plate will be found, the owner will have an automatic fine and a reduction in points from his driving license.
The police also use mobile radars, onboard unmarked cars or set along side the road to trap offenders and can fine or impound foreign registered vehicles on the spot.
