Autoroute tolls.

[Brian Kirby]

Some of you will already know this, but others may not.

The French toll autoroutes seem to be changing to new, fully automated (i.e. completely unmanned), toll stations.  The ones we encountered last Monday/Tuesday purport to take cards, cash (coins/notes), or telepayage, all at the same paystation, so there is no longer any need to divide into those cash, CB, and telepayage, queues.

Last Monday was the end of the easter weekend, so a little stress testing of the system was taking place.  :-)  IMHO, it failed miserably, not helped by more queues forming than the number of functioning pay machines at most pay stations, and the complete incomprehension of many of the French, ably helped by the non-French, to understand what went where, how often, or why!  Result, very slow throughput, long queues, much shuffling between lanes, and several solo driven RHD vehicles in lanes with the slots all on the passenger's side (a proportion have slots both sides, but impossible to detect which from the ends of the queues): in short a chaotic waste of time with 30 minutes being the worst delay.

Further moan, the card/cash slots are either at HGV cab window level, or at car window level.  So, despite the huge number of light goods vehicles, and the motorhomes based on them, neither set of slots (nor the change receptacle) is easily reached from the cab windows of these vehicles (just too high or just too low), and the vehicle passage is too narrow to be able to open the cab doors to get out.  My ribs still bear testament to the experience!  It is also very easy to drop your change, as several French van drivers demonstrated while heatedly abusing the machine.

One note reader wouldn't read a 20E note, and when I explained over a virtually indecipherable voice link that I had tried two separate notes every imaginable way round, it was suggested this was due to the notes being folded.  But they were not, they were crisp and new.  Solution?  Two equally crisp and new tens instead!  Work that out. :-)

One pay station had opened a single manual pay booth, apparently trying to clear the very long queue.  The attendant's throughput rate was approximately four times that of the automated machines.  Work, also, that out!  :-(

So, cheap for the autoroute operator, as no staff, but, there being no such thing as the free lunch, expensive in time for the traveller.  Our journey was an emergency, otherwise I should have avoided any substantial toll stretches, but needs must etc.  Even with the toll free stretches, it cost nearly 50E (Class 2) from Carcassonne to Calais, which is about half a tank full (250 miles) of diesel at today's prices.  There is absolutely no chance that the meagre saving in fuel using the autoroute (about 30MPG on autoroute, 28/29 off) could equate to the toll cost so, taking into account the diminished time advantage due to the automated barriers, the advantage of using toll autoroutes where there is no commercial gain, is now even more difficult to see.  I anticipate big rows over this change!

Separately, I had a conversation with an English lady who said she always paid the tolls by card.  "Bit sow though, isn't it?", I asked, "having to faff around with your PIN on a machine you can barely reach".  "No pin required" she replied.  "Just put the card in, the machine reads it, and some even give you a receipt with your name on!"  Hmmmmmm!  Security: what security?  Is this really correct?

[Guest JudgeMental]

In my experience they just swallow the card and spit it back out almost immediataly......welcome back\!

[Tony Jones]

Having used the toll roads from Cahors to Murcia on our way "down" a couple of weeks ago, we found ourselves some £80 worse off, and resolved never to use the wretched things again in either country, unless REALLY desperate to get somewhere quickly.

Coming back "up," we stuck to that and found a much more pleasant journey!

 

By the way, I'm back in the UK. Check out our blog:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/tonyssabbatical/1/tpod.html

[bazooka]

Thanks for the infformation (warning) Brian!

Baz

[Patricia]

Thanks for the warning Brian and I hope that the emergency was resolved satisfactorily.

 

As a petite lone traveller I always have to dismount at unmanned booths in order to pay and to use the phone as I am invariably charged classe 3 instead of classe 2: the difference in price is often considerable. I try to avoid using autoroutes now because of the cost but do usually go on to miss Orleans then leave again to join the N20.. Was the A10 part of your route and, if so, where did you come off?

If this part of the route is affected, I will have to work out another detour. I leave for the UK either tomorrow or Wednesday depending on your answer..

[rupert123]

French autoroutes have never asked for pin numbers, seems the easiest way to me, use your card.

[EMS]

I use my french bank "Carte Blue" for the tolls. Yes, there is no need for pin number entry so the it is quicker normaly and you can request a printout for your transaction records.

 

I have once had the card retained by the reader and luckily there was an attendant at the payage to open the machine and return the card. They were installing the new machines at the time, so teething problems.

 

Note when checking the payments on your bank statements that the Tolls can be grouped if it is the same company and the same day.

[LordThornber]

Tony Jones - 2011-04-29 9:43 PM

Having used the toll roads from Cahors to Murcia on our way "down" a couple of weeks ago, we found ourselves some £80 worse off

 

Tony, I assume you're stating that the Tolls cost you £80, is that right?

 

Or are you saying that you've been diddled for £80, surely not?

 

If it's the former, do you have any figures available, (assuming you returned the same way), for diesel usage and time taken?

 

Martyn

[mirage]

We have come across all the problems you listed and with the cost have virtually given up with the autoroutes. Cost Calais to Nice is e149.30 (according to Mappy by entering van as vehicle). At current exchange rates that works out to £271. 45 return. I appreciate exchange rate works against us as Brits but the French do seem to be overdoing it a bit, one single return trip is costing as much as our Road Tax per year.

 

[Guest ChrisB]

This is a little worrying. It's difficult enough explaining to a toll boot operator that your vehicle is adapted for a disabled passenger and therefore should be charged at Cat1 rates (but to be fair simpler in recent years), but how do you explain to a machine? I fear queues will be building up behind me whilst I await an assistant - or is there a simple "Handicapé" option on the payment console?

Has anyone been through an automated booth with an adapted vehicle?

[Brian Kirby]

Patricia - 2011-05-02 12:11 PM Thanks for the warning Brian and I hope that the emergency was resolved satisfactorily. As a petite lone traveller I always have to dismount at unmanned booths in order to pay and to use the phone as I am invariably charged classe 3 instead of classe 2: the difference in price is often considerable. I try to avoid using autoroutes now because of the cost but do usually go on to miss Orleans then leave again to join the N20.. Was the A10 part of your route and, if so, where did you come off? If this part of the route is affected, I will have to work out another detour. I leave for the UK either tomorrow or Wednesday depending on your answer..

Hi Patricia

Yep, A10!  Joined at Vierzon, left at Janville, and overnighted off autoroute at Salbris.  All these were the new style paypoints. 

My other observation is that once at the paypoint, the gap between the pay machines is insufficient to allow you to open the door to get out.  Well, you petite girls may manage, but I couldn't have!  Hope you have long arms though, 'cos those slots are way up, or way down!

The good news is that some of the machines were double sided, presenting solo RHD drivers with driver's side slots.  A very discreet arrow indicates which side of the box the working bits are, most having just one arrow, but some having two.  However being so discreet, they are difficult to spot on approach.  Therefore DO NOT APPROACH BARRIER AT SPEED!  :-D

Alternative route via Blois to Chateauroux?

[4petedaniel]

Just arrived back from Spain Valencia to Le Havre free Motorway most of the way the only problem was the large amount of lorries, They also seem to like the freebis

[Randonneur]

Coming back from the UK recently we noticed that some of the Peages had a large sign board well before the booths to guide you if you had a RHD vehicle, this was a Union Flag and EU flag.

[Brian Kirby]

mirage - 2011-05-02 8:44 PM We have come across all the problems you listed and with the cost have virtually given up with the autoroutes. Cost Calais to Nice is e149.30 (according to Mappy by entering van as vehicle). At current exchange rates that works out to £271. 45 return. I appreciate exchange rate works against us as Brits but the French do seem to be overdoing it a bit, one single return trip is costing as much as our Road Tax per year.

But, the French pay no VED, or equivalent, and the toll sections are quite well used, though less so than the free sections, so maybe they have just become accustomed to the PAYG nature of autoroute travel.  After all, it is only a convenience for most, not a necessity, and the commercial users can make their own judgements as to whether the savings in time etc merit the costs.

[Tony Jones]

LordThornber - 2011-05-02 7:48 PM

 

Tony Jones - 2011-04-29 9:43 PM

Having used the toll roads from Cahors to Murcia on our way "down" a couple of weeks ago, we found ourselves some £80 worse off

 

Tony, I assume you're stating that the Tolls cost you £80, is that right?

 

Or are you saying that you've been diddled for £80, surely not?

 

If it's the former, do you have any figures available, (assuming you returned the same way), for diesel usage and time taken?

 

Martyn

 

As far as I know I've not been diddled - but I haven't seen my Cr Card statement yet!

The figure is a quick back-of-envelope one, I'll work it out properly when I have chance.

 

As for diesel, I've always takern the view that if you're going to pay out serious money for tolls to get somewhere quickly, it doesn't make sense then to skimp on the speed for the sake of the fuel. However, I've been thinking again about that, as I've seen for myself the difference in consumption between 100kph and 130 - it's pretty dramatic, even in a reasonably streamlined van like Roxie. My answer this time has been to stay off the tolls and slow everything down, but I can envisage situations where paying the tolls but taking it easy might make sense.

[Big Momma]

Perhaps the French are becoming a not so Camping-Car freindly nation and are trying to discourage the thousands of visitors per year that help all their local economies ? I somehow doubt it, perhaps they believe that we love France so much that they can charge what they like and we will pay it. The only way they will find out if this is true will be by the profit they rake in. As an alternative to France (and their are many others) why not tour Germany, it may only have one coastline in the North of the Country but there are many very large lakes with man made beaches to lay on, the scenery is just as beautiful, they have lots of Stellplatz and Toll Free roads. Speak with the tyres and burn the rubber elsewhere then they will soon think again. If lots of holiday makers (Caravanners and Motorhomers) were to change their holiday destination it would not just be the French Tolls that lost out but lots and lots of local communities that rely on the tourist. However, doubt that this will really happen but nice to think that perhaps People Power could make a difference.