90 kph becomes 80 kph in France

[van ordinaire]

Many years ago now I got stopped by a Garda on a bike (to this day I swear it was because my personal plate was a N. Irish issue) who actually said he was disappointed he couldn't have points transferred to a British licence. You only get a day (or 2?) to pay the fine - & trying to find a Garda Station to do that in rural Eire wasn't easy.

That old double nickel blanket limit went out the window long ago, although there's still a 55 limit on a lot of "two lane blacktops" (including that stretch of Highway 19 in Nutbush, TN now the "Tina Turner Highway"). Most Interstates are 70 & in a few enlightened states, 80. It's bendy roads (short of those beyond a "Mountain Curves and Grades" sign) that are real pain because where we have maximum speed signs, they have a different speed limit for each bend - & some of the straights in between!

[bobins]

Rather strangely, on my way to work each day I pass a 30mph limit on a country lane. The 30mph signpost on the right hand side of the road is about 50 yards before the 30mph signpost on the left hand side of the road. Wonder which one is the enforceable speed limit ? Anyone seen any other speed limit or sign anomolies ?

[Homer]

I got a ticket from France back in March this year, dutifully delivered direct to me by post - and all in Spanish.

How long after the event did the ticket arrive?

Just gone back and looked at the ticket/fine I received. My memory had played up:
Offence - 97km/h in a 90 area, <20km/h over limit
RD951 Saint-Claud vers Confolens
date - 16.3.18
notice issued - 21.3.18
fine - €45 for payment within 46 days

So, very quickly!

That's interesting, I had heard it could take months to arrive as they don't have our 14 day rule.

[Homer]

That 80 kph is really the same as in large parts of the USA where 50 mph is the general limit on all roads.

Thought it was 55 (the double nickel) in the states? Or am I 30 years out of date!

You might be right Paul. I'll have to ask my daughter who lives out there.

And I was under the impression it had been raised to 70 with some states removing it entirely during daylight hours / good weather and seeing a drop in road deaths as a result.

[GiveMeABreak]

Rather strangely, on my way to work each day I pass a 30mph limit on a country lane. The 30mph signpost on the right hand side of the road is about 50 yards before the 30mph signpost on the left hand side of the road. Wonder which one is the enforceable speed limit ? Anyone seen any other speed limit or sign anomolies ?

Yes, every 10 yards here!

[Richard_C]

Its just occurred to me that the satnav algorithms for fastest route and arrival times will be wrong now. Not a big issue for short trips, but thinking back to my circuitous route to Provence last year via the lumpy middle bits of the country, I would have been late for dinner and/or no time for an aperitif some evenings .... best go back to Michelin maps and hard sums. I suppose there will be updates eventually (at a cost of you don't have free for life rights).

[xantia_v6]

Its just occurred to me that the satnav algorithms for fastest route and arrival times will be wrong now.

Tomtom issued a special update with the new speed limits the day before they came into effect, but they got it wrong, and had to send another update (that actually had the new limits) about 3 days later.

[white exec]

Large overhead gantrys (gantries?) on our coastal motorway (A7/E15) declare things like "Malaga - 32 mins" for a lot of the day. If you were to attempt to drive to even the closest part of Malaga - let alone the city centre - in that time, you'd collect a dozen speeding tickets! WTH?

[Paul-R]

Its just occurred to me that the satnav algorithms for fastest route and arrival times will be wrong now. ... I suppose there will be updates eventually (at a cost of you don't have free for life rights).

On another web site I have opined that I can't see how they will be able to work properly unless they are clever enough to determine your direction of travel.

The problem is on the roads where there are occasional three lane sections with two lanes for one way and one for the other. On the two lane side, and for the duration of those two lanes, it will be 90Km/h whilst going the opposite direction it will be 80Km/h. I have the latest updates for the eMyway system in our X7 and SMEG+ in the 308 and they are supposed to be 80Km/h aware so we'll see next time we go across.

...thinking back to my circuitous route to Provence last year via the lumpy middle bits of the country,...

My new favourite route down to Provence involves the lumpy bits in the middle between Clermond Ferrand and the Rhone Valley north of Orange. It's a beautiful set of roads and the new 80Km/h limit is a real PITA.

[van ordinaire]

Rather strangely, on my way to work each day I pass a 30mph limit on a country lane. The 30mph signpost on the right hand side of the road is about 50 yards before the 30mph signpost on the left hand side of the road. Wonder which one is the enforceable speed limit ? Anyone seen any other speed limit or sign anomolies ?

I've come across a few of those signs which suggest there's a stretch of road where there's only a speed limit in one direction. Invariably they're in places where (a) there's no obvious need for a speed limit but (b) you'd be hard pressed to achieve, much less maintain, that sort of speed.

[van ordinaire]

Its just occurred to me that the satnav algorithms for fastest route and arrival times will be wrong now.

Tomtom issued a special update with the new speed limits the day before they came into effect, but they got it wrong, and had to send another update (that actually had the new limits) about 3 days later.

Really? I've not known TomTom to have much knowledge of posted speed limits.

Surely it took longer than 3 days to change all the signs?

[xantia_v6]

Tomtom satnavs show speed limits for about 75% of roads, and about 95% of highways.

The signs were changed over a 2 week period before the new limits came into force, I think there were about 20,000 signs to do, but like the UK, most open roads in France do not have frequent signs giving the numeric speed limit.

I don't know if it is related, but over the past couple of years, a number of dual carriageways (not autoroutes) which were previously limited to 110 kph have been reduced to 90 kph, which I find even more frustrating, as they are constructed to a high standard with continuous median strips, armco barriers and well designed on and off ramps.

[EDC5]

All of this really does surprise me. France is such a vast country that every km/hr is needed.

I must admit that when driving between Le Mans and a village about an hour away thus summer I often had no idea of the speed limits. Didn't matter how fast I drove there was always somebody 10cm from the rear bumper!

[van ordinaire]

I must admit that when driving between Le Mans and a village about an hour away thus summer I ofteI didn't think the French noticed, or took any notice of, speed limits,n had no idea of the speed limits. Didn't matter how fast I drove there was always somebody 10cm from the rear bumper!

Which takes us back to my 1 October post "I didn't think the French noticed, or took any notice of, speed limits . . . "

Mind you Germany &, particularly, Belgium are the same.

I didn't say that TomTom didn't display speed limits - but they often do not relate to those posted.