corradoboy

Will be going to France on a 3 week road trip fairly soon, and will need to use their Autoroutes. Is it worth my while buying into this....

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/

...or just queue and pay the tolls ?

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Speak with Jeff (alcazar) on this as he's very knowledgeable, with having a property in France. I'm sure he'll offer some sound advice.

David_Dickson

I wouldnt bother for a short trip, to be honest. Its no major hardship to pay at the booth and the lanes for the telepeage systems are not always faster than going through the normal ones depending on traffic levels.

The advantage is if you are alone in a RHD car, you dont have to faff about leaning across to pay or getting out, but thats about it. If you really want one, there are a few companies that have no standing order or rental charges, Alis / liber-t rings a bell, but I cant remember them offhand.

www.viamichelin.fr is a route planner that calculates toll costs for your journey.

oh, and the telepeage lanes are limited to a max height of 2m so vans, roof boxes etc and some people carriers cant pass through either.

hodgy0_2

no brainer imo, especially if you are going at a busy time, and are using the popular routes

the queues can be quite big, and the auto tolls are pretty much drive thru and go

corradoboy

My mate who lives there says it should be fairly quiet whilst we are there (May 21-June 7), as there are no French holidays and the Brits won't be in full swing. The missuse will be in the passenger seat so she can sort payment. Is it cash or card, or both ? We haven't fully decided on a roof box. I don't want one, but she insists we'll need it for nearly 3 weeks away. Of course, I'm a bloke so I can wear the same clothes for more than 4 hours at a time, and don't mind rinsing things through.

hodgy0_2

you maybe OK then, I think August is when it goes mental on the autoroutes for the french,

My brother has a similiar auto payment system in Italy where he has a house -- we use it all the time when there, and even in the quiet times it makes alot of sense

David_Dickson

Cash is fine, manned booths are being phased out and its all going to automated things that take notes and coins now - Have a selection of denominations to hand to avoid getting loads of small change in return. UK cards can sometimes be problematic. If its Solo/Maestro/Switch then there is no chance it will work, but Visa and Mastercard are usually ok. Some of the older toll booths will only accept French issued bank cards, but these are getting replaced.

Dont worry about getting it wrong, pretty much every time I go through toll booths there is someone fannying about holding everyone up or reversing out of the lane and cutting across 5 open lanes to get to a different booth.
Look at the gantries as you approach - the leftmost lanes are the Telepeage lanes, with an orange "t" symbol above them. A green arrow normally means an open, manned booth and the rest will have card symbols for card-only or coins and/or a basket symbol for automatic cash lanes.


This website....
http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gou...iri/Accueil.do
gives decent traffic info for the whole country.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Just seen this.

As above really, there probably won't be queues at that time, but it IS UK half-term, (Whit) so there might be some on the ones used by Brits.

If you are on your own in a RHD car it's worth it.

Plus I've often smiled as "fast" French cars overtake me in the restricted speed zones before the tolls, only to find they are BEHIND me again when we set off.

On another topic, DO be aware of sneaky speed traps: hidden behind signs on lead-in roads, at the ends of tunnels where you can't see them well against the light, supposedly broken down cars on the hard shoulder, parked up in emergency exit roads......the list goes on

And they can, and do enforce the speed limit on lead on/lead off roads, even into service areas, so watch it. I've even seen a flic with laser goggles catching Brits approaching the tolls too fast.

If you see anyone flashing you, check your speed

LeeMac

iTrader: (1)

depends which route you're going you might only have to stop once or twice and there will be about 8-12 bays

Our place is about 9 hours drive after leaving the ferry and only stop twice, once for the ticket, then to pay

I always use a card, pop it in, pops out, no pin needed

Blue signs = tolls, Green signs are the A road equivalent (with lots of round abouts)

If you need an overnight place look for a Formule 1, they are cheap, brilliant and an experience.

Where are you off to?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Where are you near LeeMac? We are about 30 miles SW of Limoges, JUST inside the border of 87, 4km from 24 and 12km from 16.

We like Premiere Classe as you can get 15% off a meal and drinks at a Camapanile if you stay at one. And the Campaniles are usually on the same lot, or nearby.

LeeMac

iTrader: (1)

Not a million miles away, near Brantome in 24
Recently sold actually after 8 years, living permanently there for the first 6 of em

I love the Formule 1s, seeing the old chaps walking to the showers in nothing but underpants and a towel over one arm saying bonsoir, mint
And everyone huddled together in the foyer for breakfast drinking coffee from a bowl
takes allsorts
Its a different world, mainly a respectful one though (depts 95 & 13 aside)

in our 9 hour drive I think there is just 1 set of traffic lights

edit: am considering the Haute Vienne for the next one

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Brantome is less than 30 minutes from us in the Scoob. Some BRILLIANT roads around there.

BUT: when we bought there were two speed cameras on the whole route from Calais. Now there are over 40 and more every visit.

LeeMac

iTrader: (1)

Not bad roads, nothing on em tho to overtake!
There is a mental video on googlemaps, bloke caning it on a bike near Champagnac de Belair

I remember driving my scoob over and got caught out on one or two cameras and never heard anything though, french plates as well

don't think there are any cameras from Roscoff down to Niort, might be one on the road into Angouleme then nothing again after

In laws have a place near Confolens

Jaybird-UK

I got mine from http://www.aprr.fr and is a bit cheaper than Sanef UK but speaking French does help as they do not have a UK office.

Some of the roads have 30kph express toll lanes which are nice

Fat Boy

we have the sanef dooberry and its pretty good although we do find that we have to wave the bloody thing out of the window as we roll up. However, to motor through the tolls while hundreds of local drivers queue up to pay feels good.

Pretty cheap - eur 10 annual one off registration fee, IIRC (versus the Eur1.60 per month on aprr above) and then you only pay when you use it i.e. there is no monthly fee or anything