ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Next week I have to drive to Spain via France. I did have a ferry booked to Biboa which avoided France, but I've had to cancel as a work colleague died suddenly and I need to go to the funeral which is on the same day as the crossing and no availability to re-schedule

Because I'm leaving in the afternoon it means I'll be using different overnight stops to what I'm familiar with. I'm aware that more cities have adopted the Crit'air zones over the past year.

I don't have a Crit'air badge.

One main question which is unclear, is if I'm on the main motorways (passing through), for example: Hérault and Montpellier on the A9 or Dijon on the A31 without stopping, am I exempt?

Google results just want to talk to me in quasi-English and try and sell me a badge, which is too late to get. I'm using the phone, so maybe the mobile websites are missing what I'm looking for

markjmd

iTrader: (11)

My reading of the official site seems to suggest that both those motorways could in theory be affected, if an air quality event gets triggered. The exact extent of the restrictions (which areas and roads and which badge levels are affected) would all depend on the severity of the event, so basically impossible to predict in advance.

https://www.crit-air.fr/nc/en/inform...zone-zpad.html
https://www.crit-air.fr/nc/en/inform...zone-zpad.html

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Yeah that's as far as I got LOL.

I know Lyon had a excluded routes on parts of the D383 which is a ring road (sort of) and A6/A7 (which may have since changed), I always skipped round via Saint-Preist anyway. But this would not be possible through some other cities.

At present, all I can fathom is as of today, via the calendar on the website I can drive in Montpellier on the day I intend to travel: https://www.crit-air.fr/nc/en/neu/gr...ktuellerStatus

But as you say, the theory goes that could change if a alert was issued.

Don't bother with that link above - it won't work.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Whereabouts in Spain? Because Lyon is a hell of a way east of Spain?

If heading for the west coast, why not go via Rouen, then A28, joining A10 and all the way to the frontier?

If heading for the Med coast, I'd do Rouen, A154/N154 to Chartres, then A10 about fifteen miles south of Chartres, joining A71 to Vierzon, where you can choose A75 that will take you over the Millau Bridge and down to Beziers, or straight down the A20, free as far as Limoges, to Toulouse and thence Carcassone, Narbonne and Perpignan.

That last is almost a straight line down France from Calais/Tunnel

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Inland of Valencia.

Been doing this for nine years now. Done it a variety of ways; Via Bordeaux, via Limoges, via Clemont-Ferrand, as well Lyon. IIRC the difference between the shortest and furthest routes was about 60miles....however the shortest is via Paris...no ta! Time-wise though there really is very little in it. The only real bottleneck on the Lyon route is Lyon itself.

The Bordeaux route is a quirky one, because it's slow south of Bordeaux as they have still not completed the autoroute, but south of Zaragoza, the A28 is a superb stretch of free road which you absolutely blast down. When they finish the toll road properly (as well as the rail work at Poitiers) it should be the fastest route when currently it's the slowest.

Plus I hate Rouen! Never forgiven that place for its half-arsed diversion for the burnt-out bridge, even though I know how to skirt round it, found getting off the autoroute a junction early, taking the D7 and D6015 was better as everyone else tends to pile on the other routes at busy times.

Dr Hu

What is a normal unsuspecting Tourist supposed to do?
Surely there must be a system in place to allow for 'non locals' passing through?
I wouldn't have even given it a second thought!!

(although we are talking about the Frenchies here!)

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

France looks like making itself worth avoiding, what with this and the new law limiting main roads except dual carriageways to 80kph instead of 90.

Then, once the tourists stop going, they will be crying and, NO-ONE WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS GONE WRONG.

dpb

Too many people dying , from what i read

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

They tell so many lies about speeding though.
The most recent has been to publish a graph showing how road deaths have decreased since 2004 "due to the inception and use of speed cameras".

What they failed to say was that it was only part of a much larger graph, showing that the rate of decline has been roughly similar SINCE 1970.

Seat belt laws, tyre laws, radial tyres, better suspension, disc brakes, airbags, side impact bars, collapsible steering columns, better road junctions etc etc etc, all ignored.

They tell more lies than the UK Scamera lot.

coupe_20vt

iTrader: (2)

I'm not sure when the crit'air policy came in law, but last summer we drove from Calais via Reims, Dijon, Lyon, Montpellier to our destination just south of Beziers.

I've not had any comeback for my naivety!

Motorway with a TAG all the way.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Most of it was adopted summer last year. But Lyon and Paris started earlier.

It's only a issue if a air quality warning comes into force in that area. How your supposed to predict that is beyond me....how would you know if you don't have Internet and don't understand the radio/tv?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I assume you've got Bip & Go?

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

No: Did have a Sanef one before you could get tags that work in both countries, however I've been going direct to Spain via the ferry in more recent times, there aren't that many toll booths to deal with on those routes, nor as busy either.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I'm on my third...batteries die and cannot be replaced. They get smaller and you end up having to peal the old sticky pad off the windscreen, not easy.