French Government unveils plan to extend use of private radar cars following trial in Normandy

[Allanm]

For those of you can’t seem to keep to French speed limits........

“Unmarked cars equipped with hidden speed cameras are to be rolled out in three more regions of France from January 2020, the government has announced.

A total of 60 vehicles will be deployed in Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire in the new year after the government deemed a year-long trial in Normandy a success”

I guess they will be rolled out all over France eventually.

 

[spitfire]

For those of you can’t seem to keep to French speed limits........

“Unmarked cars equipped with hidden speed cameras are to be rolled out in three more regions of France from January 2020, the government has announced.

A total of 60 vehicles will be deployed in Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire in the new year after the government deemed a year-long trial in Normandy a success”

I guess they will be rolled out all over France eventually.

As far as I know we have one here ( La Correze ) already on the A20. The locals tell me it is a Berlingo ! Drives at the speed limit and when you overtake ! Bingo

 

[Odd-no-more]

I know it's not the main reason but with the problems around the uncertainty of the B word, the exchange rate and pet passports. Do the French expect any tourists this year? I have a friend who has a campsite in Lot, he is having a very bad year. Few Brits and fewer Dutch. They may have picked the wrong year to give us another reason to go to Spain or stay at home.

 

[2x2camper]

I don't know why people have such a downer to sticking to the speed limits.

 

[Odd-no-more]

I try but it's not always easy. The limits change quickly and often. I have not had a ticket in almost 40 years, but that involves a lot of luck as well as attention, not always easy to hold the speed down when 2 to3 mph gets a £60 tax. (Sorry fine)

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[2x2camper]

Oh it is. Just don't drive on the limit all the time

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I don't know why people have such a downer to sticking to the speed limits.

I suggest you try it over there now.
It is SIMPLE, they have rejigged the whole system and it is NOT OBVIOUS what the limit in any particular place is, it varies from place to place as to whether there is a junction coming up and there are few sign denoting the actual limit which may actually be lower that the signs state. Make it not clear and you will create a healthy income stream. The french do not always know what the limits are as they vary and an open road in the middle of sod all might drop from 90 to 80 at the bottom of a hill or from 80 to 70 . entrapment is what is really is. Speeding fine is coming and you know nothing of where and what it was, no photgraphic evidence sent.. Just a bill.
I have not been caught , as I do drive at 50mph most of the time but do not intend to get caught out either, so this year I will probably not be going to France.. Macron has really fired up the French with these tactics, but they do object about taxes ,and fines being used like that.

 

[Allanm]

I suggest you try it over there now.
It is SIMPLE, they have rejigged the whole system and it is NOT OBVIOUS what the limit in any particular place is, it varies from place to place as to whether there is a junction coming up and there are few sign denoting the actual limit which may actually be lower that the signs state. Make it not clear and you will create a healthy income stream. The french do not always know what the limits are as they vary and an open road in the middle of sod all might drop from 90 to 80 at the bottom of a hill or from 80 to 70 . entrapment is what is really is. Speeding fine is coming and you know nothing of where and what it was, no photgraphic evidence sent.. Just a bill.
I have not been caught , as I do drive at 50mph most of the time but do not intend to get caught out either, so this year I will probably not be going to France.. Macron has really fired up the French with these tactics, but they do object about taxes ,and fines being used like that.

i don’t know where this obsession comes from with French speed limits. They are clearly signed at the start and finish of each limit. Towns with a red bordered name sign denote the start of a 50kph limit, single carriageway roads are 80, speed changes are clearly signed. If you want to practice driving on a road with lots of speed changes before coming to France, drive along Alkham Valley Road between Temple Ewell ( just outside Dover) towards Folkestone. I think there’s more speed changes on that road than most French roads.
Once you’ve mastered that, France will be a doddle!

 

[keithchesterfield2]

Thank you for deciding that France might not be your destination this year.

Plenty more room on the Aires for me as I meander my way around the country at a pleasant steady pace.

The joy of a tasty baguette for breakfast and fine wines and cognac for evening entertainment beckons my stately moving tortue on the quieter roads of France.

Rush if you must - but don't moan if you get caught speeding ........

 

[Abacist]

Just spent 5 days at Peterborough and the main roads near there which you expect to be national speed limit I.e. 60mph or 70mph if dual carriage way are in fact 50mph but there seem to be a distinct lack of repeater signs which I thought was the law for any speed limit other than 30, 60 or 70mph.

Have I missed something?

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[PeteH]

Just spent 5 days at Peterborough and the main roads near there which you expect to be national speed limit I.e. 60mph or 70mph if dual carriage way are in fact 50mph but there seem to be a distinct lack of repeater signs which I thought was the law for any speed limit other than 30, 60 or 70mph.

Have I missed something?

At 50MPH there should be a repeater sign between 450 and 700M apart depending on whether they are on one or both side of the road. See:- https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page..._Signs._2008_(Second_Impression_2008).pdf/119

I dont have an issue with trying to stay under the limit. What bugs me is the FACT, that many "Speed traps" are located in places where the potential for revenue is greatest. NOT where there is a danger to life and limb. Also, with modern vehicles, geared as they are for fuel saving and economy, it is not easy to keep to or under a limit , especially 30MPH, without constant watching the speedometer. Ok you may say?, BUT every time you take your eyes OFF the road or immediate surroundings, there is the potential to miss a hazard. Which IMV could make the difference between Life and Death in an extreme case, where seconds can count!. There are too many reports of people being fined and getting points for as little as 2MPH over, to believe that it is not largely a revenue collection exercise.

 

[Odd-no-more]

Just spent 5 days at Peterborough and the main roads near there which you expect to be national speed limit I.e. 60mph or 70mph if dual carriage way are in fact 50mph but there seem to be a distinct lack of repeater signs which I thought was the law for any speed limit other than 30, 60 or 70mph.

Have I missed something?

They have changed the need for repeater signs because too many people were beating the speeding ticket on that ground.

 

[filopastry]

The "private radar cars" have existed in France for years, just like in the UK. They are not "private cars" but vehicles that are equipped with radars that look out through small openings, not easy to detect, they have no markings ... just like in the UK. If one does not know the speed limit on a specific section of road I would suggest your are not taking sufficient care. The number of cameras, speed and anpr, fixed, in marked and unmarked police cars as well as HGVs in the UK .... and you obsess about France. Know the speed limits, drive within them or risk the penalties, if one does not agree with specific rules and there system of application in a given country .... don't go there ... one is not obliged. Good grief Penfold !!!!

 

[Odd-no-more]

The "private radar cars" have existed in France for years, just like in the UK. They are not "private cars" but vehicles that are equipped with radars that look out through small openings, not easy to detect, they have no markings ... just like in the UK. If one does not know the speed limit on a specific section of road I would suggest your are not taking sufficient care. The number of cameras, speed and anpr, fixed, in marked and unmarked police cars as well as HGVs in the UK .... and you obsess about France. Know the speed limits, drive within them or risk the penalties, if one does not agree with specific rules and there system of application in a given country .... don't go there ... one is not obliged. Good grief Penfold !!!!

That's the point I made, the French tourist industry is suffering this year. Not all from this, but it is a part of the reason.

 

[138go]

We have a Toyota Hybrid with SatNav but it also uses a camera to pick up road signs. Some of the time there is a discrepancy between the two systems and it’s the SatNav that is wrong.

Driving the MH in France we have been flashed on a few occasions by cameras but have not had any paperwork yet. The other year we found one in a trailer parked at the side of the road. Locals knew about it as they were flashing us but it was not that obvious.

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[spitfire]

i don’t know where this obsession comes from with French speed limits. They are clearly signed at the start and finish of each limit. Towns with a red bordered name sign denote the start of a 50kph limit, single carriageway roads are 80, speed changes are clearly signed. If you want to practice driving on a road with lots of speed changes before coming to France, drive along Alkham Valley Road between Temple Ewell ( just outside Dover) towards Folkestone. I think there’s more speed changes on that road than most French roads.
Once you’ve mastered that, France will be a doddle!

Exactly. Well said . What is the current obsession with knocking France ? If you don’t like it don’t come . I have lived here for 15 years and not complaining but am not too happy with the U.K. situation at present re lots of things so my answer to that is the same . I stay away .

 

[PeteH]

The "private radar cars" have existed in France for years, just like in the UK. They are not "private cars" but vehicles that are equipped with radars that look out through small openings, not easy to detect, they have no markings ... just like in the UK. If one does not know the speed limit on a specific section of road I would suggest your are not taking sufficient care. The number of cameras, speed and anpr, fixed, in marked and unmarked police cars as well as HGVs in the UK .... and you obsess about France. Know the speed limits, drive within them or risk the penalties, if one does not agree with specific rules and there system of application in a given country .... don't go there ... one is not obliged. Good grief Penfold !!!!

I don`t, Or didn`t, but when the ferries went in for "service" in January I had to drive through the damn country to get to Spain!.. And dont get me going about the French Bureaucratic liking for changing Road numbers apparently for fun!

 

[Grianan]

Oh it is. Just don't drive on the limit all the time

My daughter got a minor on her driving test for driving under the limit. They teach the new drivers to drive at the limit,

 

[2x2camper]

My daughter got a minor on her driving test for driving under the limit. They teach the new drivers to drive at the limit,

Having just had 3 kids pass their driving test in recent years no they don't. They teach them to drive at an appropriate speed for the traffic conditions.

 

[BobtheBass]

With the news today that local governments in France can change the new 80kph limits back to 90kph if they want it’s just total confusion, no doubt leading to even more transgressions by motorists. Without a shadow of a doubt it’s all revenue collection, indirect taxation, call it what you like. A complex scheme designed solely to make money for the government just as it is over here but a lot more sneaky. Safety cameras? Don’t make me laugh. In France they are painted grey so they can’t be seen, hidden in unmarked cars so they can’t be seen and probably soon to be in drones flying above you so they can’t be seen. If they really were "safety cameras" they would be highly visible to make you slow down at dangerous spots. I suppose in the UK at least we get a sporting chance with bright yellow cameras and police type vans in laybyes with black windows.

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[The Wino]

With the news today that local governments in France can change the new 80kph limits back to 90kph if they want it’s just total confusion, no doubt leading to even more transgressions by motorists. Without a shadow of a doubt it’s all revenue collection, indirect taxation, call it what you like. A complex scheme designed solely to make money for the government just as it is over here but a lot more sneaky. Safety cameras? Don’t make me laugh. In France they are painted grey so they can’t be seen, hidden in unmarked cars so they can’t be seen and probably soon to be in drones flying above you so they can’t be seen. If they really were "safety cameras" they would be highly visible to make you slow down at dangerous spots. I suppose in the UK at least we get a sporting chance with bright yellow cameras and police type vans in laybyes with black windows.

Maybe the answer is drive at the lower limit unless its clearly signed higher there will be no penalties for being under the limit

 

[2x2camper]

Maybe the answer is drive at the lower limit unless its clearly signed higher there will be no penalties for being under the limit

What and arrive a couple of minutes later

 

[frogijock]

In Spain they use helicopters to check speeding vehicles

 

[Allanm]

That's the point I made, the French tourist industry is suffering this year. Not all from this, but it is a part of the reason.

Where do you get this rubbish from? Is it just wishful thinking, because there is no evidence that the industry is suffering.
This is from the tourist industry in France published this year....

French tourism figures reached a new record in 2018 despite weeks of violent "yellow vest" protests that caused a late slump, the national statistics institute (INSEE) said on Tuesday.

Foreign visitors fuelled the surge, with large increases in Italian, Spanish and German visitors reported by accommodation providers


The number of nights spent by people at French tourist accommodation, including hotels, campsites and youth hostels, rose to 438.2 million in 2018, up 9 million on 2017, INSEE said.


So, if people stay away because they can’t cope with the speed limits, I don’t think anyone in France will notice or care!

 

[G7UXG]

Speed limits in France are broadly similar to those in the UK and yet the death rate on their roads is almost twice that on UK roads.

There’s a reason for that. It’s not how fast your going that kills... it’s how quickly you stop.

The French should perhaps concentrate their efforts on driver education rather than lowering speed limits and trying to rigorously enforce them.

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[hymermick]

Oh it is. Just don't drive on the limit all the time

Have you ever driven in Europe?

 

[spitfire]

Speed limits in France are broadly similar to those in the UK and yet the death rate on their roads is almost twice that on UK roads.

There’s a reason for that. It’s not how fast your going that kills... it’s how quickly you stop.

The French should perhaps concentrate their efforts on driver education rather than lowering speed limits and trying to rigorously enforce them.

Hence why they have now given autonomy to each department ! If speed is not a factor in the majority of their accidents then they can raise it

 

[moulin 87]

Last Friday , for the first time in a long time, I saw a mobile speed camera in France, it was on the A20 near Uzerche. Since then I've seen two more, one was directly outside my gate with the gendarmes hidden in my neighbour's hedge.. I think there is a major purge on..

For the paranoid among you, I know there are many, British registered cars would be less than 1% of the total so unlikely to be a specific target, perhaps the 99% which are French registered could be the target..

 

[2x2camper]

Have you ever driven in Europe?

Being going to Europe for the last 30 years.

 

[2x2camper]

Last Friday , for the first time in a long time, I saw a mobile speed camera in France, it was on the A20 near Uzerche. Since then I've seen two more, one was directly outside my gate with the gendarmes hidden in my neighbour's hedge.. I think there is a major purge on..

For the paranoid among you, I know there are many, British registered cars would be less than 1% of the total so unlikely to be a specific target, perhaps the 99% which are French registered could be the target..

You have got to stop using logic like that one here

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