french speed cameras

[pagey]

for info https://www.motorhomingfrance.co.uk/post/see-how-the-new-french-radars-work

 

[Ridgeway]

They have speed cameras in aires now ?

I must remember to slow down when refilling with the watering can.

 

[pagey]

They have speed cameras in aires now ?

I must remember to slow down when refilling with the watering can.

fixed now

 

[nicholsong]

If it refers to 'Aires' maybe it is to aires on motorways, not where we MHs park in quiet spots.

 

[denisejoe]

Camping CarParks aren't on motorways. They are like the ones in villages, just that you need one of their cards to use them.

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[ManTheVan]

Driving can sometimes seem joyless. These machines will make it even more so. They are supposedly more ’intelligent’ but they’ll never possess the intelligent discretion of a proper traffic police officer. Drivers will inevitably be caught 3mph over the limit or mistakenly straying into a yellow box without causing an obstruction and will be prosecuted regardless. Ho hum...

 

[Allanm]

Getting caught by a Traffic policeman gives you time to think about what you did.
Getting caught by a speed camera gives you time to get angry.

 

[pagey]

Camping CarParks aren't on motorways. They are like the ones in villages, just that you need one of their cards to use them.

You missed the point of the post there is a video showing the new speed cameras on the post but it seems to take a while to load especially on an I pad

 

[F.M.C.Fourier]

I travel to France regularly - at least twice a year - and have been since 2007 - but not in my motorhome. Until last year, 2019, I never had a speeding ticket despite being flashed a few times and I naively assumed that they did not bother sending them to "étrangers"! Then things changed; in February 2019 I picked up THREE and in February 2020 another one. All of them within the discretionary leeway usually given to UK drivers (after conversion to MPH) (i.e. under the limit plus 10% plus 2 mph)! Fortunately relatively cheap - 45 euro - and, of course, no points.

 

[pagey]

I travel to France regularly - at least twice a year - and have been since 2007 - but not in my motorhome. Until last year, 2019, I never had a speeding ticket despite being flashed a few times and I naively assumed that they did not bother sending them to "étrangers"! Then things changed; in February 2019 I picked up THREE and in February 2020 another one. All of them within the discretionary leeway usually given to UK drivers (after conversion to MPH) (i.e. under the limit plus 10% plus 2 mph)! Fortunately relatively cheap - 45 euro - and, of course, no points.

Hi yes that's the reason I posted the video it showed me that it's not just a speed camera

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[ManTheVan]

Grand frère vous regards!

 

[Landy Andy]

Interesting. I think it looks very clever but can’t believe all it is saying. I don’t see how it can spot mobile phone use or seat belt wearing without a person at the other end watching a monitor.

 

[MitchandJenny]

Just as well we have decided to avoid France due to all the nasty comments we had about Brexit.
Arrive at Calais (tunnel) up to Belgium and off to Lithuania, Latvia, Poland etc.
Plenty of Europe too see yet, but bit of a bugger about getting to Spain without a long Ferry trip.
Mitch.

 

[Tigertom]

Just as well we have decided to avoid France due to all the nasty comments we had about Brexit.
Arrive at Calais (tunnel) up to Belgium and off to Lithuania, Latvia, Poland etc.
Plenty of Europe too see yet, but bit of a bugger about getting to Spain without a long Ferry trip.
Mitch.

Er........Calais is in France ?

 

[jongood]

for info https://www.motorhomingfrance.co.uk/post/see-how-the-new-french-radars-work

Informative video thanks

Its a shame it doesnt tackle the 2 biggest menaces on French Roads : drink driving in the afternoons and driving all the way round traffic islands with the wrong/no indicator showing.

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[Camdoon]

If it is monitoring when there is tailgating in France then I doubt there is enough storage in all Christendom to record this.

 

[jongood]

If it is monitoring when there is tailgating in France then I doubt there is enough storage in all Christendom to record this.

I also wonder how it will distinguish between the tailgaters and the ones that pull in front of you and brakes because they ve noticed the camera

 

[Reallyretired]

Just as well we have decided to avoid France due to all the nasty comments we had about Brexit.
Arrive at Calais (tunnel) up to Belgium and off to Lithuania, Latvia, Poland etc.
Plenty of Europe too see yet, but bit of a bugger about getting to Spain without a long Ferry trip.
Mitch.

The only people we have had slagging us off about brexit have been belgian. I dont know why they were particularly incensed.

 

[Nasher]

So if you drive within the speed limit & obey the rules, there is nothing to worry about

Plus, as everyone on Motorhome Fun is a perfect driver, we're all OK ?

 

[denisejoe]

I also wonder how it will distinguish between the tailgaters and the ones that pull in front of you and brakes because they ve noticed the camera

Or when a motorcycle overtakes at the second you hit the cameras

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[Allanm]

If it is monitoring when there is tailgating in France then I doubt there is enough storage in all Christendom to record this.

They don’t store images, the cameras are wirelessly linked to control centres and images are transmitted as soon as they are taken. The cameras can monitor up to 8 lanes of traffic and multiple vehicles and I believe they have both forward and rear facing cameras. They can distinguish between cars, trucks and motorcycles. How they do this is beyond my pension grade, but it appears they can do all they are meant to do.
Only about one in four of these new cameras are live at any one time and they can be turned on and off ( I guess to stop the control centres being overwhelmed by information coming in)
i don’t agree with or like speed cameras, but as Nasher says, keep your speed down and they will never be a problem.
It seems the locals don’t like them either. Many have been destroyed or damaged by burning, cutting down or in one case blasted by a shotgun!

 

[Odd-no-more]

I used to totally hate speed cameras but these days the standard of driving is so poor that I think we need them, with the addition of some common sense, which is a rare commodity when regulations are concerned in this country. If we are to be monitored a lot more, then the penalties need to reflect the crime. Someone who has inadvertently gone 3 mph over should have a rap on the knuckles, not the same points and fine as someone who is speeding intentionally. Also repeat offenders should have the penalty increased.

However this will not happen here, they like very ridged rules and to bring in more cash.

 

[Barclaybasher]

One of the reasons I choose to get to Spain via Bilbao or Santander

- 800 boring miles on dual carriageway or roads with countless roundabouts or other roads - constantly watching the speedo instead of the road.

OK if you want to just see France but not for 'a dash to the sun'....

 

[Gary217]

Isn't it just very simple? Accept you're in their country, accept their rules, drive within their rules and you'll be ok. If you don't like the rules or the country or the people then stay away - they won't worry if you do as they're generally very welcoming but they do understandably hate British whingers.

We love it there and we just respect that they do things differently as they have different problems/solutions to us.

 

[GAVLAD]

I wonder if it will spot whether your number plate had ‘fallen off’?
What would happen then?

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[suavecarve]

I wonder if it will spot whether your number plate had ‘fallen off’?
What would happen then?

It would be the equivelent of politely raising your hand and requesting the gendarmes/police to pull you over to listen to your excuse.
They may decide to ticket you they may not. If you were speeding with no registration showing then probably the former.

One undoubted consequence is that it is highly likely to take you longer to get where you wanted to get by speeding.

 

[Hilewaychile]

One of the reasons I choose to get to Spain via Bilbao or Santander

- 800 boring miles on dual carriageway or roads with countless roundabouts or other roads - constantly watching the speedo instead of the road.

OK if you want to just see France but not for 'a dash to the sun'....

There are speed limits in UK and Spain, as well as France and every other country with road traffic. Do you 'constantly watch the speedo instead of the road' there as well?

 

[Barclaybasher]

There are speed limits in UK and Spain, as well as France and every other country with road traffic. Do you 'constantly watch the speedo instead of the road' there as well?

It is just one of the reasons to avoid transiting France.

I don't speed and 'know' without looking the speed I'm driving at but in France it's too easy to be just a few Ks over the limit - and the number of changes to their speed limits - I've seen 3 speed limits within just a few metres in some villages...

Going to France? - expect a speeding ticket waiting at home on your return....

 

[Hilewaychile]

I think F.M.C.Fourier will find that the so called "discretionary leeway usually given to UK drivers (after conversion to MPH) (i.e. under the limit plus 10% plus 2 mph)!" is a thing of the past in UK now, as well.

Where it exists," these tolerance levels for speeding are at the discretion of the police force." So they’re within their rights to punish drivers that flout the speed limit even by a few miles per hour. *

* Confused.com asked the police forces of England to confirm if discretionary leeway existed in their areas. Those that replied and confirmed that it did exist made the point that it is discretionary, not a right.

The constant jibbing at enforcement of speed limits, by all manner of users of the roads, inc MHs, is pointless and a remnant of the foot-stamping and pouting associated with the reaction of children to a reasonable request to stop doing something annoying.

 

[Paul and Val]

Oh no.

The sun is shining and I have just had a lovely breakfast cooked by my long suffering wife, and I have no restaurant preparation until tonight. All was right with the world.

Now however I have watched the damn speed camera video and I am fuming and all I want to talk about is Ryanair, traffic Police and parking wardens. My day is ruined thank you.

We have lived in France for many years and we love it here. As a guest in the country we scrupulously obey all laws and regulations including the fact that we never fiddle our taxes unlike many British people here.

All regulations and laws except one. Along with most sensible people and locals we completely disregard the ridiculous national speed regulation of 80kmph. I realise that the flat cap brigade in the Club will all send posts of complaint and annoyance. It is a stupid and arbitrary limit and deserves to be treated with contempt.

I am not a maniac and obey both in town and village limits to a high order, but on an open road, safe with no junctions, wide, open and well known to me and in good weather I will travel at up to 120 or 130kmph or even faster on a very regular basis. I can feel the blood of some Club members starting to boil with indignation.

The difference between me and many poor drivers who slavishly follow speed limits is this. I adapt my speed to the road and conditions and will often slow down to below the posted limit in bad weather.

Yesterday I followed an elderly fellow who would swear with confidence that he was a safe driver. A steady 70kmph (actually 66kmph on the speed corrected sat nav). All the way back along a long straight open road that has an already far too low 80kmph limit. Unfortunately he continued at the same 70kmph all the way through the next village which is of course a 50kmph limit but which also has a short 30kmph section. He does not drive at high speeds! He is a safe driver!

I am afraid that I am going to also make myself even more unpopular with the hat wearing fraternity in the Club by saying that many of the very worst drivers in France are not Italian or Spanish but dare I say it? British.

Sorry but there we are. I am not surprised that so many Club members complain of being tail gated. Wandering along with no care in the world and regarding the lovely views and the clear roads often the very reason that the roads are so clear and open is that there is a massive queue behind them. Do they move over? Never. With a 'we are not in a hurry' attitude, and bugger everybody else, they continue on their jolly way.

There is a very narrow and difficult stretch of road here here that requires special attention in a Camping car due to overhanging rocks. I drive through at about 50kmph but I then move over at the first spot to let traffic past. I have lost count of the number of British registered camper vans who do not.

A few final points.

A previous poster above stated that the 10% plus 2mph was a rule in the UK. It is not. It has never existed as a firm rule and many people with speeding convictions are able to state.

Apparently 20% of British drivers do not realise that when driving in France and upon entering a village with a village name sign with a red line around it, it is automatically a 50kmph limit (unless sign posted at a different limit). The limit reverts to the ridiculous 80kmph once you pass through the same village sign with a black line through it.

Many of these 20% will be the same people lecturing others on the dangers of driving dangerously due to speed. They will often say really stupid things like "if you don't ever speed you don't have to worry" and other such gems of wisdom.

Anyway. Sod the speed cameras, bugger the sad gits who operate them and while I have never destroyed a speed camera, I wish that I had the courage to do so.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with driving quickly as long as the conditions allow.

Safe motoring.

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