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Speed limits in France wtf are they?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@valais2, given the https://www.annieandre.com/11-things-take-road-in-france/ link says that 80km/h is reduced to 70km/h in rain, it seems reasonable to consider the issue 'open to debate'...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
crosbie wrote:
@valais2, given the https://www.annieandre.com/11-things-take-road-in-france/ link says that 80km/h is reduced to 70km/h in rain, it seems reasonable to consider the issue 'open to debate'...


That looks like a site written by expat Brits. The site I quoted is a French driving instruction site, with links to La Prevention Routiere: https://www.codedelaroute.fr/infos-pratiques/actualite/passage-routes-secondaires-80-km-h-299.html
Open to debate? I don't think so.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Even more confusing now that departments can vary the limits on single carriageway N and D roads. Here in Isère it is 80 on the D1091 but next door in Hautes-Alpes it's 90. I drove to Briançon yesterday and upon leaving Isère the limit changed and it was clearly signposted. On the way back though there was a sign saying the 90 limit no longer applied but I didn't see an 80 sign. Could easily be caught out by a gendarme hiding in the bushes as they do.
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Quote:

@valais2, given the https://www.annieandre.com/11-things-take-road-in-france/ link says that 80km/h is reduced to 70km/h in rain, it seems reasonable to consider the issue 'open to debate'...

I had a read of the site and it's hilarious and probably a spoof. Apartently Aires have "rest rooms". No they don't. If you get out of the car and look for some where to rest inside then you are out of luck. All the seating is outside. As for a whole section on roundabouts ???? but then nothing about priorité à droite which still exists in places
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Let's talk about Belgians some more...…. Smile
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johnE wrote:
Quote:

@valais2, given the https://www.annieandre.com/11-things-take-road-in-france/ link says that 80km/h is reduced to 70km/h in rain, it seems reasonable to consider the issue 'open to debate'...

I had a read of the site and it's hilarious and probably a spoof. Apartently Aires have "rest rooms". No they don't. If you get out of the car and look for some where to rest inside then you are out of luck. All the seating is outside. As for a whole section on roundabouts ???? but then nothing about priorité à droite which still exists in places


They’re Yanks (more or less). Says it all.
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johnE wrote:
priorité à droite which still exists in places


priorité à droite exists everywhere in France, and in many other continental countries, it is the fundamental rule of priority where there are no signs indicating otherwise.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
crosbie wrote:
pam w wrote:
And any one-horse collection of deserted barns which has a name has a 50kph limit, even if there are no speed limit signs.


Well, more precisely, a village name sign with a red border is legally 50km/h - unless there is another speed limit sign just after, e.g. 70km/h that overrules it.

The village sign with a bar through it means 'end of 50km/h restriction'.

A village sign with a black border has no implicit speed limit (such as 'a one horse collection of deserted barns').


I regularly drive through more than one French 'one horse collection of deserted barns' that has a red-bordered, 50kph limit. There's one that's just a cross roads in the middle of nowhere with a grain silo, a barn, and a house.
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johnE wrote:
Apartently Aires have "rest rooms". No they don't.


Can still remember a convoy drive south through France when we got the "One of our children has announced the imminent need for the toilet." headlight flash, so we pulled in to the next Aires. Once she'd seen the toilet she apparently dropped the urgency down from a 10 to a 9 - something that happened at the next 2 Aires we tried before finally making a full service area Very Happy
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Enjoyable read, did I miss what defines wet when it comes to reducing the speed limit? Totally agree about the Belgians Very Happy
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And don't even get started on "priorité à droite".........
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
If you like paying French speeding fines you can collect two in quick succession at the Motorway Border near Geneva airport Embarassed
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KenX wrote:
And don't even get started on "priorité à droite".........

Can't resist this! Even after decades of driving in France, this sometimes catches me out. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A8gles_de_priorit%C3%A9_en_France is quite a good summary - interesting to have the difference between a 'rond-point' and a 'carrefour giratoire' pointed out i.e. priorité à droite exists on the former but not the latter. I didn't know that carrefour giratoire are sometimes called 'rond point anglais'! An interesting example halfway down the wikipedia page shows what happens if you get it wrong.
And this also explains why it's ok for someone to cut you up from the right on a multi-lane road...
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:

priorité à droite exists everywhere in France, and in many other continental countries, it is the fundamental rule of priority where there are no signs indicating otherwise.

In Italy the smaller road always has priority whether it is from the left or right. Or is it the biggest vehicle?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
caughtanedge wrote:

And this also explains why it's ok for someone to cut you up from the right on a multi-lane road...


You cannot change lane without giving way to the drivers on the lane you want to move into and on most expressways and all autoroutes the cars joining from a slip road have to give way - in this case it is clearly marked with give way signs. The general rule is that anyone on a slip road has to give way to the traffic on the main road (R. 415-1 du code de la route). Priority from the right also rarely applied on main roads outside of town but you will see this sign (AB6) to show that is the case:




The big exception is the Peripherique in Paris where give way to the right applies - but this is shown on the slip road by lack of give way sign and no road markings



and on the main road (the peripherique) there should be a cross roads sign:



but if this is missing priority from the right still applies as the basic rule.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Sorry, perhaps I should have said it's sometimes ok for someone to cut you up from the right on a multi-lane road. The same applies when 2 lanes merge into one - if the right lane comes to an end, a vehicle in it has priority over one already in the left (uninterrupted) lane.
It's the exceptions like these which can be 'challenging' for anyone who doesn't use such roads on a regular basis. I think it's fair to say that the tiny 'crossroads' signs, and the lack of a 'lane dividing line' on the Périphérique sliproads (where the tarmac is probably polished to black anyway), are quite subtle and likely to be missed by occasional travellers! I think you'd get the general idea after a couple of junctions though...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I don't think your second example is a good one (Porte des Ternes on the outer Périphérique) - at that point, the slip road feeds into its own lane, and there is a lane marking line as you carry on through the underpass. So at this junction, you can be sure that traffic entering on your right definitely won't pile straight into the next lane.... Madeye-Smiley
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
caughtanedge wrote:
I don't think your second example is a good one (Porte des Ternes on the outer Périphérique) -


it was more to show the sineage.

Given that it is a rule not well respected by the French driver, especially new drivers, it would be better to make things much clearer IMHO.
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It's the old drivers who pile straight on to 'carrefour giratoires' that scare me...
But this quote from Wikipedia may throw some light on it:

Les ronds-points existent en France depuis longtemps, notamment à Paris ; cependant, jusqu'à l'apparition du modèle anglais, la priorité était à droite sur ces aménagements, sauf réglementation contraire.

So everything was fine until 'le modèle anglais' came along...

I'm now trying to recall if my french roundabout experiences are different, depending on whether I'm in a RHD or LHD car.
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I could sit and watch the traffic around the Arc de Triomphe all day, it's chaos but it works somehow.

As a rule I just assume that the French always have the right of way.

Agree about Belgians, but then driving tests only became compulsory in 1977 so it will be a while yet.....
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chocksaway wrote:
it's chaos but it works somehow.


Like Hanoi:
http://youtube.com/v/oetF3UTIwbc
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@caughtanedge, so long as you keep moving Very Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I just take a look at the drivers to my right as I approach ANY side turning, if they've got long ears, my right foot is ready for the brake!
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radar wrote:
Enjoyable read, did I miss what defines wet when it comes to reducing the speed limit? Totally agree about the Belgians Very Happy
This Belgian heard from another Belgian who the following happened to:
-The person in question arrived by car at the entry to the Péage de Gye after Nancy, heading in the direction of the Alps;
-The speed limits lower before the Péage from 130 to 110 to 90 to 70. The driver respects these speed limits, even spots the police and smiles/waves to them.
-The police flashes lights and pulls over the car.
- 'Do you know why you are being pulled over, Sir?'
-'I waved...'
-'No, you are being pulled over and fined because the speed limit is 50 instead of 70 at this moment because it is raining.'
-... The driver was unaware that this applied also at speeds less fast than 110 km/h and asks the police. 'When does it rain then?'
-'Sir, your windshield wipers are functioning, so it is raining'.
Just a clue, taken into account at that time, moment, space, place. Smile
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@JulieAimeLeSki, Very Happy Thank you , that does make sense and one that I have applied as is seems logical, however every French car seems to be flying past me when my wipers are on intermittent. hartelijk bedankt
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So if I've got a fresh coat of RainX on the screen so don't need to switch my wipers on it's not raining and I can still do the higher speed limit? wink
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Mjit, only if the gendarmes have done the same on theirs Toofy Grin
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
JulieAimeLeSki wrote:
This Belgian heard from another Belgian who the following happened to ...

France should just automatically give every Belgian car a speeding ticket at the border.
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