To Autoroute or not to autoroute ...?

[mondo]

I have always advocated using the "N" Routes as er indoors likes a bit of something to look at...we always had a couple of weeks round the Vendee or the Ill De Oleron or th Ill De Re but we never rushed to get there in fact one year it took us 4 days with stop overs to get to the Vendee coast

 

We usually did around 250 miles a day actual driving which is when you look at it 4 hours actual driving in the saddle so to speak but we like to just cruise around..........Then again why pay to use the roads..a good map coupled witha Sat nav does the job I find!!

[mondo]

I have always advocated using the "N" Routes as er indoors likes a bit of something to look at...we always had a couple of weeks round the Vendee or the Ill De Oleron or th Ill De Re but we never rushed to get there in fact one year it took us 4 days with stop overs to get to the Vendee coast

 

We usually did around 250 miles a day actual driving which is when you look at it 4 hours actual driving in the saddle so to speak but we like to just cruise around..........Then again why pay to use the roads..a good map coupled witha Sat nav does the job I find!!

[elamessa]

Vernon B - 2011-05-07 7:00 PM

 

 

I have to confess that quite a few of my previously expressed concerns were realised along the N154. Although this single carriageway road is generally in good repair it carries a high volume of HGVs and I'd prefer not to be around if a breakdown occurred since there appeared to be little prospect of finding somewhere to pull over without bringing the whole traffic flow to a grinding halt. Nor was there an adequate number of filling stations in the first 100 miles - infact the few I saw were at supermarkets and these had 2 metre height barriers. Oh and just as we were settling down to making reasonable progress up popped one of those dastardly "Deviation" signs that was carefully devised to take you round the house and down side streets with double parked vehicles before getting you 1km down your original route but having completed 10km!

 

 

V

 

If you use the 'N' roads on a Sunday the only lorries you will see are those with a refrigerated trailer, all other lorries are banned from using them on Sundays. :-D

[Brian Kirby]

No, no, no!  Not N roads: D roads.  :-)  They have far less traffic, and generally pass through much nicer towns and villages.  The only drawback is that not so many of the towns have by-passes, so you do tend to go through the centres at times.  However, may have a Poids-lourd (HGV) route that will be easier, and many more have signs saying "Toutes Directions" (All Directions) that you just follow round until you get to the road signed for the next town towards your destination.  The N roads tend to be extensively used by trucks that are avoiding the autoroute tolls, and some bits, especially in hilly territory, can be a real grind.  The exception is where the N has been dualled so, "lorry fights" excepted, overtaking on the uphill sections is feasible.

[Retread24800]

Just in case there is anyone who is unsure of the official classifications Cl1-5 they can be found here http://www.asf.fr/shared/pdf/asf_classification_des_vehicules.pdf

Or to roughly summarise

Class 1 car or van with or without a trailer Authorised Train weight under 3.5t and lower than 2M high

Class 2 under 3.5t and lower than 3M but above 2M

Class 3 Over 3M high and/or 3.5t

Class 4 3 or more axles on one vehicle

[lennyhb]

Brian Kirby - 2011-05-08 8:16 PM

 

No, no, no!  Not N roads: D roads.  :-)  They have far less traffic, and generally pass through much nicer towns and villages.  The only drawback is that not so many of the towns have by-passes, so you do tend to go through the centres at times.  However, may have a Poids-lourd (HGV) route that will be easier, and many more have signs saying "Toutes Directions" (All Directions) that you just follow round until you get to the road signed for the next town towards your destination.  The N roads tend to be extensively used by trucks that are avoiding the autoroute tolls, and some bits, especially in hilly territory, can be a real grind.  The exception is where the N has been dualled so, "lorry fights" excepted, overtaking on the uphill sections is feasible.

 

Agree in principle but not so easy in practice since the renumbered all their roads it often doesn't make sense any more. e.g. skirting around Orleans last year took the exit signed N20 when I got onto the road it was labelled D20, Autoroute 2010 & Google maps still have it as N20.

[Dave225]

Just to add my comments. We have just done basically Zeebrugge to Cartagena with the caravan on the back, so Class 2 tolls. We followed much of what Brian has done townwise, but using the autoroutes as we had a destination planned and a timetable. The whole wack cost €150 for 1800 miles and yes, that is a bit of a hit. However, not using the autoroutes is not so easy with a caravan as you have to look for large laybys to get off the road whereas the autoroutes, this is usually?? not a problem. I also agree with the point about trucks on the N roads especially in Spain. These can have long convoys of trucksa tailing each other, and/or playing pass me and I pass you games, so can be abit tiring after a while.I would probably save a tankful of fuel using the autoroutes so about €70 of my €150 is back in hand. So, at the end of the day it is a personal choice but I do agree that one should check the actual route you plan to use as the tolls are not linear across France. The Clermont Ferrand route is much higher than the Vierzon-Toulouse route and anything north of Paris is hirribly expensive.

 

By the way, diesel prices on the French autoroutes averaged €1.50 per litre, give or take a cent or 2. In supermarkets it was anything from €1.30 to €1.40. In Spain autoroutes were €1.34 and off route we managed €1.27 in Cartagena.

[Patricia]

Almost all roads are now "D" rather than "N" as the government has transferred all the upkeep etc. on to the departements so it is difficult to know which are the old quieter roads and not the main renumbered ones. Remembering the numbers is not so easy now either as each departement chose its own numbering system and some have now made 4 numbers instead of 1 or 2.

 

Re the autoroute system: lorries have to use them and not the main roads unless delivering (and they can prove it if stopped!). Lorries are banned from using them on Sundays unless refrigerated.

 

I returned to England last Friday without using any autoroutes (too worried about the narrow peages and probable inability to reach the payment slot after Brian's post!) so saved a considerable sum. However, the last stage was interesting to say the least as those "D" roads ended up as tiny lanes. Must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. After being delayed by a flat tyre I just made the ferry with 15 minutes to spare!