New French Laws

tee_cee · 2018-07-03 17:23:17

If you are thinking of a trip through France, a couple of new laws are in force.
1. Speed limits have been reduced from 90 to 80 kmh on all 2 lane roads without a central reservation.
2. Loads of polution control zones have been set up, where you will need a 'crit air' sticker to indicate your emission rating. Stickers need to be ordered online before you travel.

Ricko · 2018-07-13 06:40:02

Where do you order a crit air sticker from?
Cheers

tee_cee · 2018-07-13 08:47:09

Ricko wrote:

Where do you order a crit air sticker from?
Cheers

There are a few sites that look like they are official but this is the real one
https://certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/

Comes out at €4.21 delivered.
In typically French fashion delivery times are up to 6 weeks, and there is no over the counter service. However they do issue an invoice after 48hr which shows the classification with barcode - which they tell me you can show to the police if you are stopped.

In addition to the 4 permanent city zones, 16 departments have legislation that allows them to impose temporary restrictions when pollution levels are high. They can then increase restrictions on a daily basis to exclude different classes. The first day would more than likely be to exclude older vehicles that do not have a category AND those that do not have sticker. They can also restrict this to commercial vehicles if they wish.
It remains to be seen if they will actually use these powers, but many of the departments will have the option to ban class 4 (Euro3) cars, which could include through motorways. Personally I can't see them doing this, the locals would not stand for it.

vaz2121 · 2018-07-14 08:24:57

I don't supose there is a straight forward answer.............But

Something that has occurred both with this and the german version....
That they use a sticker on the window to show what category the vehicle is in................

What happens if the sticker or the windscreen needs replacing as I assume haveing had a quick squint through the web page.......... sticker for obvious reasons is not removeable......

We back to square one or is there some form of data base that the vehicle is on
That shows vehicle is registered on scheme although no longer displaying
In order to get a replacement .....
For arguement sake it was defaced or while on route through said country and required replacement

Casper · 2018-07-14 09:31:56

Just another cash scam. Every other year hey seem to bring out more motoring laws that are designed to cash in on the motorists. I cut through France last year for the quickest route to a German destination. That was the first time i have been over there border since the mid 90's. These stickers should be available in petrol stations, newsagents and the likes. This was only a small handfull of city's last year. Look how much its grown

https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/de/map/fr … .868/5.537

The speed limit thing is fine, I think most of Holland it like this and the Germans just dont seem to care.

tee_cee · 2018-07-14 11:22:00

New sticker arrived today, 1 week after I applied!
If you look at what happened in Germany, they introduced the stickers - and then tightened up the restrictions every year. So now Euro3 cars are no longer allowed in any of major cities. I'd expect the same to happen in the french permanent zones.
The freedom of movement legislated by the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, seems to be under constantly under attack, making it more and more difficult to stay legal.

The speed limit change is not well liked, judging by the number of 80km signs that I've seen, that were bent over to obscure the limit. In general people follow the speed limit, but I see a lot of bad driving & overtaking. The biggest problem that I can see, is that the speed for trucks is unchanged at 80km, which will lead to more reckless overtaking.
I'm fine with 80km for day to day driving, but I think for longer journeys, I'm forced to take the autoroute.

Casper · 2018-07-14 11:30:24

I dont even like the toll system. I dont mind paying but something like what the Swiss are doing i like. Pay your €40 a year and be done with it. OK crap if you are a tourist just passing through but if this could be the same in France and incorporate the Crit then fine, i would pay say €50 for that. Just looked at the price From Paris to Cannes. €160 yikes that is taking the piss.

http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/routes.htm? … %2C+France

OK €70 odds he rest is fuel but imagine living and having to travel a lot. Its a crazy system.

Last edited by Casper (2018-07-14 11:32:19)

tee_cee · 2022-02-01 15:39:16

Been keeping an eye on this and it seems that more and more of the small cities are implementing low emisssion zones.
As per the German model, they plan to tighten up the restrictions each year, so that diesels won't be allowed in these zones within 3 or 4 years.
Even worse is the ability to introduce temporary speed restrictions in areas recording fine particle pollution rates, despite the fact that wood burning stoves are the main cause.
So in these area speed limits can drop by 20km/h on motorways and 10km/h on 80km/h roads - but how the hell do you know.
I see also that Bordeaux is setting a 30km/h limit of all its road this month with Lyon to follow suit shortly.

The only saving grace here will be the usual French resistance with regards to, being told what to do. Since up to 75% of vehicles in these cities will be forced off the road within the next 3 years, I would expect the locals to building barricades, setting fire to council offices and burning police cars in the near furture.

Pathfinder100 · 2022-02-01 22:05:23

That's France for you. If it's not broken, lets try harder to fuck it up. Not that I tend to go near the big cities if I can help it, especially Paris. If I wanted to visit a large shit hole, London is a lot nearer. Supermarkets are often out of the cities and fuel is easily available all over. Even the speed limits don't make a lot of difference to me. 49 vs 55 is a largely irrelevant number. Technically if you don't have camper van tags on your V5 its the same speed over here on single carriage roads.

If you want to visit a city, get a bike and cycle in or walk or get a bus. Even in terms of Aires, I prefer the quieter ones in the villages over the big city ones. Clean air and all that.

For me France is somewhere I sometimes pass through on the way to somewhere better. wink

Anyway thanks for posting tee_cee. it's good info.

OAT · 2022-02-02 23:22:18

Pathfinder100 wrote:

That's France for you. If it's not broken, lets try harder to fuck it up.

Of course, as ever, Britain is a beacon of good governance in a mad world.

smile

Casper · 2022-02-03 00:57:37

Its been the early to mid 90's since i was ever in France for a proper Holiday. Out the two times i have been i was just passing through in the same day and another where i spent the night in a camp site. Its one of the most unwelcoming places i have ever been from a drivers point of view. I think there Government is corrupt as well as there police. Its a bloody shame as apart from the Parisians the people i have met are all lovely and the country can be quite stunning. The emission zones dont bother me as everyone all over Europe is doing it including the UK. Speed limits is fine also, their country their laws but i have read to many horror story's where the see a GB plate as a cash cow and many a person frog marched (Pardon the pun) to a cash point for an on the spot fine. The UK and the rest of Europe must pump in £1m's if not billions to their economy with the tourist industry. If only it could be boycotted for a year to let them see what they will be missing but that will never happen so for me they can do one. If i ever do go to the Bike Rally on Faro, Portugal ill be taking the ferry to Spain to bypass them.

scotchjoe · 2022-02-03 15:50:37

Pulled over by the police in France when on the bike for not coming to a complete stop and putting my foot down at a junction. He explained to us that we would be taken to a cash point and made to pay a fine. After a conflab with his china, he came back and scolded me with a demonstration of stopping and putting his foot on the ground, then waved us on. tongue

Casper · 2022-02-03 16:17:13

They stopped me. well a group of us but because of me for not having my headlamp on. The RR had went so was limping it back to the ferry as it was the end of our trip. Once plod were out of sight it went back off again.

Pathfinder100 · 2022-02-03 17:25:01

Everyone I know has had issues with the plod over there. I hate travelling in or through the country and would happily pay the extra cash to get a ferry to Bilbao or Santander to avoid driving there. Unfortunately i might have to drive through it this summer, briefly, to get into Belgium, but such is life I guess. Although i am toying with the idea of hopping into Holland on the Hull boat and then heading south into Belgium. Don't know where I will go after that. If I do go I am only planning on a short trip of maybe a week. Just a beer/wine run and some R&R.

tee_cee · 2022-02-03 22:49:17

Looks like most of us will be avoiding France then.
I have to say that year on year there are less and less GB plates to be seen and I'd expect even fewer to visit after Macron's appalling unilateral ban on British passport holders in December last. Personally I avoid the larger cities, but somtimes there is no choice - eg Rouen or Gap. We have spent a lot of time in France in the last 5 years and rarely see the police and have never been stopped, though most of our time is spent in remote alpine spots. I must admit that I've now resorted to IRL or NI badges on the back of the van, just in case.

@Pathfinder100 The wine run is not what it used to be - now 14 litres, down from 90 litres, which according to the government release, was a generous increase. Beer is a decent 42 litres.

Casper · 2022-02-03 23:29:39

Pathfinder100 wrote:

Although i am toying with the idea of hopping into Holland on the Hull boat and then heading south into Belgium. Don't know where I will go after that. If I do go I am only planning on a short trip of maybe a week. Just a beer/wine run and some R&R.

You know its not just Hull to Rotterdam? Same post and still P&O does Hull to Zeebrugge what is Belgium but of you are chancing your luck and stocking up better crossing into Luxemburg as the tax is even less. As for the allowance i will still be bring shed loads home. Sadly we got our Rottie put down last week but she had a passport and came with is. Pre Ferry checks home they would never put the sniffer dogs in or near our bus. More so if they seen us letting the dog walk round the bus and have a piss. I presume the cent does something to the sniffers ability to sniff that day. Anyway they just send in a border control officer who only looks in large spaces where you can smuggle an illegal immigrant. No fag or booze checks and never a drugs check even after we told them we were in Amsterdam the night before. Ill grant you trying to hide stuff about your vans will be a lot harder than my Convoy bus but still doable.

Pathfinder100 · 2022-02-04 05:41:28

I'm after a few bottles of Monbazillac and a bunch of Straffe Hendrik's Trippel beer. 90 litres of that beer would equate to being shitfaced for at least a month. big_smile

As for drugs, not really a thing for me. Might be tempted to sample some truffles while there, but its not as important as the beer. tongue

Mostly looking to take a jaunt into a different country. Haven't been out of this one since I walked across Spain a few years back.

vaz2121 · 2022-02-07 17:45:34

Casper wrote:

Pathfinder100 wrote:
Although i am toying with the idea of hopping into Holland on the Hull boat and then heading south into Belgium. Don't know where I will go after that. If I do go I am only planning on a short trip of maybe a week. Just a beer/wine run and some R&R.
You know its not just Hull to Rotterdam? Same post and still P&O does Hull to Zeebrugge what is Belgium but of you are chancing your luck and stocking up better crossing into Luxemburg as the tax is even less. As for the allowance i will still be bring shed loads home. Sadly we got our Rottie put down last week but she had a passport and came with is. Pre Ferry checks home they would never put the sniffer dogs in or near our bus. More so if they seen us letting the dog walk round the bus and have a piss. I presume the cent does something to the sniffers ability to sniff that day. Anyway they just send in a border control officer who only looks in large spaces where you can smuggle an illegal immigrant. No fag or booze checks and never a drugs check even after we told them we were in Amsterdam the night before. Ill grant you trying to hide stuff about your vans will be a lot harder than my Convoy bus but still doable.

Casper P&O no longer sail to Zeebuge from Hull ... I only found this out recently when the memsab fancied doing a re-run of the mini cruise we did there a couple years ago [How time flies - when your enjoying yourself wink ] and only Rotterdam and ijmuden [Amsterdam] were the only available sailings for any listing..................

Many moons ago when truck driving over there I tended to find in france that things [their tolerance levels with brits anyway] got much worse as far as the shrug of sholders and the inaudible french phrase [Probibly Merde] and them walking off- Happened the closer I got to a ferry port when asking a question ETC [My accent may have on occasion helped or the it was The Auld Alliance ... speaking English didnt] ...................

I have I admit been flabbergasted at the french attitude with me at times and the thing we were or not doing then [inc plod]

Plod in belgium have pulled a Gun on me ... Just after asking me for all my paperwork inc the vehicles ............
That scares me lots that a gun can legally be used on you in Europe ...............
Yes I know it's for their protection and what have they just walked into ... But they are still a Human ................
I don't fancey being on my high moral horse from a Hospital bed or a box ..............

A Return trip to Bilbao or Santander can still be very cost prohibitive [But look at the cost of Dover - Calais prices now as well]

Last edited by vaz2121 (2022-02-07 17:48:10)

Casper · 2022-02-07 18:38:02

Well every day is a school day. Looks like Jan 2021 was the last ferry crossing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-56114654

TBF it was only saving an extra 100 miles or so on a trip. Planning a Italy Croatia trip for 2023 and intend on crossing from Newcastle anyway but the Zeebrugge route is up for sale according to that ^^ article

This is my rough guide to the next trip over three weeks

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/IJmuiden,+Netherlands/''/''/Pisa,+Province+of+Pisa,+Italy/Pompei,+Metropolitan+City+of+Naples,+Italy/Bari/Dubrovnik,+Croatia/%C5%A0ob%C4%8Deva+cesta+25,+4248+Lesce,+Slovenia/''/IJmuiden,+Netherlands/@46.440915,2.4281679,5z/data=!4m78!4m77!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c5f1cb8c50af3d:0xdd4e26411860392e!2m2!1d4.6060138!2d52.4569544!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x2ff2023b6afc058c!2m2!1d9.984944!2d49.743866!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x7cacffff7e72d9ea!2m2!1d10.8679241!2d45.8737791!1m20!1m1!1s0x12d5919af0f6598f:0xaab80fb5a78478c8!2m2!1d10.4016888!2d43.7228386!3m4!1m2!1d12.2029772!2d41.9202554!3s0x132f56499edccef3:0xe1f951fba2c50dff!3m4!1m2!1d12.8131565!2d41.4872838!3s0x13250a84cfeea4fd:0x8d8da01e43a22670!3m4!1m2!1d13.4489953!2d41.2531194!3s0x13252e78df753ff9:0xff0a91168f013080!1m5!1m1!1s0x133bbc95914ba4ef:0xd2d18a72aeb414a4!2m2!1d14.4989344!2d40.7461572!1m5!1m1!1s0x1347e8f8f3078d6f:0x87254066a3908e1!2m2!1d16.8718715!2d41.1171432!1m5!1m1!1s0x134b8ba20835e87d:0x400ad50862bd500!2m2!1d18.0944238!2d42.6506606!1m5!1m1!1s0x477a96f50269efa5:0x271b16dc294d3be5!2m2!1d14.1503044!2d46.354889!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x692eef1875cc360b!2m2!1d14.6387454!2d51.5360082!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c5f1cb8c50af3d:0xdd4e26411860392e!2m2!1d4.6060138!2d52.4569544!3e0!4e1?hl=en&authuser=0

vaz2121 · 2022-02-08 04:04:06

We have also looked at using [But doutful as we are currently skint] the DFDS sailing out of Newcastle to Ijmuden But then on to the likes of Poland [Warsaw] or Austian Alps [Not been to the Eiger or Innsbruck since I was a kid] as I for one no longer fancy the drive to Dover then through France or to portsmouth for the boat if going to see her dad in Spain [Although that's getting to be a necessity with his age Plus other considerations] ...................

Isn't it funny how age and being locked down colours your view ..............

Pathfinder100 · 2022-02-08 04:43:33

You think its bad having a gun pulled on you in Belgium, try having the same over here at 2am on a dark street, after getting pulled over because your back reg plate has a small amount of moss between the pieces of plastic. I wasn't scared, but I was a bit like WTF and I even said to the cop I was talking to, that his mate was being a bit ambitious getting his MP5 ready and crouching in the door, for a traffic stop. Apparently they'd just been patrolling in an area where someone took a pot shot at them the week before, which wasn't the area they stopped me in.

Then coming back from Bruges on the aforementioned boat, back in Dec 2019, as a foot passenger. When we got to Hull Customs, it was like they were expecting ISIS or something. Never seen so many people armed with assault rifles in such a small space since the customs area at the airport we flew into in Cuba. There were 18 cops, armed to the teeth in full tactical gear, with assault rifles and a shit ton of extra clips. Don't know what they were expecting, but what they got was a bunch of bemused holidaymakers who'd been on a booze cruise to Belgium as a Christmas treat. It was seriously like they were expecting an invasion. I could understand 3 or 4 maybe, but 18 was fucking overkill. I mean would you get in the face of 1 guy with an assault rifle, let alone that many. Then I got the third degree about why I'd gone to Belgium. She wasn't impressed at my answer, to go to the half moon brewery, enjoy a brewery tour and then get thoroughly twatted for the rest of the day. I mean isn't that why you go on a booze cruise to Belgium as a foot passenger? I felt like saying, what the fuck does it matter why I went to Belgium. Maybe the 18 armed cops were there so she could give everyone grief for having fun while she sat running customs.

@tee_cee, 14L is 20 bottles and 20 bottles is a lot when you don't drink wine. I only buy sweet whites like Monbaz, Sauternes or Moscatel. I prefer beer mostly, especially decent abbey beers and anything with a good percentage and taste.

I didn't think the DFDS Newcastle to Denmark ship ran anymore? They only run to Amsterdam AFAIK. Nor does the Harwich to Esjberg route, that used to be an alternative.

tee_cee · 2022-02-08 16:28:15

@pathfinder100 We used to get the full 90L X 2 in boxes so it fits in one layer on the floor of van - we used to but all our wine in France so the reduction will hit us hard, having to pay 3 time the price in the UK. Fond of the abbey beers too, and have refined my selection to include the highest strengh beers, since it's almost impossible to get the higher strengths in the UK, though Asda will do Duvel £6 for 4. In Begium Delhaise
supermarkets seem to be the best for beer, France is more difficult, I'd reccomend a pub crawl in Bruges, but since the cramped campsite is way out of town, better to stay in th Etap at the station - under £50 weekdays and £3 a day to park. Walking distance to the Half Moon.

Casper · 2022-02-08 18:48:23

Bruges, Last time i was there i could smell the wee from the amount of OAP's that were in the place tongue We stayed in a youth hostel what was clean and cheap. Cant remember exactly where but must have only been a 10 minute walk from main town. Food was great but TBH the beer did not impress. I got the feeling the Belgians think about strength over taste to much. Nowadays i cant drink much beer anyway as got diagnosed as Coeliac so need to drink Gluten free stuff only. Next euro trip is going to be fun fathoming out who does GF in restraints. Ill be taking a few extra rolls of Andrex thats for sure. big_smile

Pathfinder100 · 2022-02-09 06:05:28

Casper wrote:

Next euro trip is going to be fun fathoming out who does GF in restraints.

Haha, I read that as Girlfriend in restraints. Germany is the answer to that question, maybe Holland. tongue

Of course I guess you mean Gluten Free, or was it the former?

kenbw2 · 2022-02-09 14:10:29

Pathfinder100 wrote:

Casper wrote:
Next euro trip is going to be fun fathoming out who does GF in restraints.
Haha, I read that as Girlfriend in restraints. Germany is the answer to that question, maybe Holland.
Of course I guess you mean Gluten Free, or was it the former?

I always find myself confused with this at restaurants. "Oh interesting, this meal comes with a girlfriend"

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#1 2018-07-03 17:23:17

New French Laws

#2 2018-07-13 06:40:02

Re: New French Laws

#3 2018-07-13 08:47:09

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#4 2018-07-14 08:24:57

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#24 2022-02-09 06:05:28

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#25 2022-02-09 14:10:29

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