Beware when driving through French villages (1 Viewer)

Sep 2, 2016
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The latest fad in traffic calming seems to be reinstating the "priorité à droite" in lots of villages (including ours..).

This means that when you are driving along the 'main' road, a side road automatically has right of way unless there is a Give Way or Stop sign and roadmarkings on that side road.

In larger towns you are generally OK because they have the Give Way/Stops, but just beware - because if you have a collision with someone coming onto the road from a side road because you did not give way, then it is your fault.

It used to cause chaos when it was used everywhere in the old days (eg traffic on the Champs Elysée in Paris had to give way to every single little side road, lovely!) and I expect it will again...
 

KeithChesterfield

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We've come down from Calais, into the Lot and followed, more or less, the Dordogne river and are currently at Port St Foy et Ponchapt but haven't noticed any of the signs you mention in villages or main roads.

Where are you in France?

I remember driving in France in the 1960s and slowing down at every side Road as cars and tractors shot out to terrify those on the main roads.

Please don't let it happen again!
 

Riverbankannie

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Will be confusing I feel :Eeek:
Opportunities for those who want to cause accidents to claim spurious injury damages.

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SmithsInFrance
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We've come down from Calais, into the Lot and followed, more or less, the Dordogne river and are currently at Port St Foy et Ponchapt but haven't noticed any of the signs you mention in villages or main roads.
That's the trouble - if there aren't any signs or road markings then those side roads have priority! We are in Deux-Sèvres (Western France) and it is a big trend here, reinstating priorité à droite where before there were the Give Way/Stop signs and roadmarkings (so basically just taking them all down, then the priorité à droite is automatically re-instated).

In quiet villages like ours the chances of meeting anyone are fairly low, but get a tractor bombing along out of a side road when you are gaily sauntering through a village and not aware and it could be pretty grim.

We're just having a lot of traffic calming work done in our village and everyone is now keeping their fingers crossed that in a tiny commune that has never had a major accident we don't now have one because of this.... farmers in particular seem to drive like lunatics round here
 
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SmithsInFrance
Sep 2, 2016
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Larry David? No, and I don't think they've ever told my hubby either (I'm the one on the left in the photo ;) - HWMBO leaves MHF to me), but we'll take it as a compliment...?!

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Lenny HB

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Had a near miss in Grand Fort Philip just up the road from Calais a couple of years ago, it was on the main road coming out of the town. I'm normally fairly aware and constantly look for give way marking on side roads but you get caught out when you think you are on a major road and don't expect it these days.
I remember when France only had a few roundabouts and when circulating them you had to give way to traffic coming onto the roundabout.
 

GeriatricWanderer

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Ive just been through France and Belgium and thought that there was no consistency to where you should give way

The "Yellow Diamond" signage works well (if you can remember which one you passed last!).

If you're lucky at crossroads you'll see a sign like this one in Chusclan (nice aire) but many don't carry the script panel:

DSCN4586a.JPG

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SmithsInFrance
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Yes, yellow diamond signs are useful in larger places but locally they often don't have GeriatricWanderer's roadsign.

How do they expect people to know?? Our 80 yr old neighbour has lived here all her life and she didn't realise how many priorité à droite we already had in our village :confused:
 
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SmithsInFrance
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I'm afraid it never disapeared! You were just not aware of it,
Agree, we had been here years before we fully realised how widespread they are - and the potential consequences of not noticing one.
But in this area they are actually taking out Stop/Give Way signs that were probably put in 50/60 years ago and going back to the old system. Panic!

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Oct 12, 2008
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Agree, we had been here years before we fully realised how widespread they are - and the potential consequences of not noticing one.
But in this area they are actually taking out Stop/Give Way signs that were probably put in 50/60 years ago and going back to the old system. Panic!

If you have signs in your village saying to people coming from your right to stop, there's no reason to have them removed. If they were put there, it was probably because of a lack of sight on the right when on the main road. In any case , they won't take such risks with the elder people who are anchored in their habits.
 
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In the village near our static it has been in use since we bought it 10 years ago and to be honest in villages it works very well, most people drive slowly approaching an intersection whether they have priority or not, a certain sense of self preservation prevails and it also acts as a traffic calming measure..........much needed in France:)

I seem to remember reading about an experiment in Holland where all the signs in a small town where removed and pedestrians and cars mixed without causing chaos or injury because nobody assumed that they had priority and everybody was alert to other users.
 
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As far as signage is concerned there are often, but not always, signs on entering a village.

If it is the yellow square(not actually diamond) sitting on one corner then it indicates 'Priorite on that road'. If the yellow square has a black line through it then there is no Priorite, so the old 'Priorite al la droite' prevails, as it does if there is no singnage at all.

A problem arises if two villages abutt each other and one has one rule and the next another, but one does not notice one has progressed from one to the other.

When I am not sure, I look for solid or dotted lines on the exit from the side-road, but I would not put it past some Mayors to change the rules, but not pay for the lines to be removed - especially if there has been a change of local party.:rolleyes:

Only country in EU with this rule isn't it - One Europe?:LOL:

Geoff

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Only happened once so far . Just entered a village and a tractor came straight out of side road in front of us scared the shite out of us. Stupid bloody traffic idea.
 

Abacist

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We're just having a lot of traffic calming work done in our village and everyone is now keeping their fingers crossed that in a tiny commune that has never had a major accident we don't now have one because of this.... farmers in particular seem to drive like lunatics round here

And modern day tractors are a jolly sight bigger and faster than they were back in the sixties!

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Just been to Pleneuf-Val-Andre in Brittany. They were painting new prorite a droit signs all over the asphalt.
 
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Still plenty of the priorité à droite down here in the Pyrenees.
It really slows people down driving through villages without the need for the "sleeping policeman" or humps.
However not everyone respects them so I always take care.
All / most are signed, but when you see the yellow diamond with the black line take care, you don't have the priority!!
We even have the odd round about that works the same, priority to enter!! Keeps you awake when driving !! :):)
 

Riverbankannie

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I must admit, I thought it had died out. Thanks to this thread I will be much more alert next time in France.
I think we might have to stop telling newbies to get themselves over to France and how easy it is to drive there, don't be scared!

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KeithChesterfield

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We were in Egypt some years ago and watching donkeys pulling carts going one way round an island and vehicles going round the other way was worth while watching - from a distance.

As we were told -
In Egypt the only rule is - there aren't any rules

I will drive with a little more caution when I leave this Aire tomorrow morning but with a MH I've got size on my side - I hope!
 

Philiphall

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We live in the Haute Vienne in a small village the mini roundabout outside our house it has no giveway signs you must give way to the right when approaching. Its so bad nearly everyone stops on the roundabout before turning, this has the effect that anyone not knowing (normally tourists) then has to slam their brakes on the avoid rear ending the car that has stopped! "Only in France"
 

Easyliving

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On our 2012 trip we were on a busyish road in a town called Hazebrouk in northern France when a car suddenly appeared from a side road. I was so lucky - our bumpers were literally touching but there was no damage so I got away with it.

Its certainly something to look out for.

Paul

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Paul240

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Plenty around here in rural southern Brittany , been here 13yrs now. It very much depends on which commune you are in tho' . Like many French rules there is no consistency ! In a neighbouring commune, they have just had a new mayor and she has reinstated the priority rule after many years.
My bug-bear is that a driver will use the priority and just pull out without even thinking to look, but then puts his toe down and doesn't slow/ give way at the next junction...... as said no consistency
 

Lenny HB

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If you're lucky at crossroads you'll see a sign like this one in Chusclan (nice aire) but many don't carry the script panel:
View attachment 157325

That is not a crossroad sign, it just means there is a junction ahead that you must give way to the right at, normally doesn't have the wording and often on country roads before hidden junctions.

As far as signage is concerned there are often, but not always, signs on entering a village.
Only country in EU with this rule isn't it - One Europe?:LOL:

Geoff
Nope, the UK is the only country in Europe without the rule, it is just not enforced much in other countries but you do see it quite a lot in Belgium, Holland & Germany.
 
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Am I right in thinking that the red/white posts you sometimes see out in the country (fields) marking the entrance to side roads, have something to do with this?

Malcolm

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