French speed cams

BrritSki wrote:
Champ wrote:

On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:23:34 +0000, BrritSki wrote:

Champ wrote:

On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:54:43 +0000, BrritSki
wrote:

Just printed off the Michelin route for my drive tomorrow from
Boulogne to Courchevel and noticed that not a single speed camera
is listed.

Can this be right ? Not that I ever exceed the limit of course...

I'm assuming you're British, in a UK registered car, yes?

Not quite - I'm British, but with and Italian reg car...

So why would you care about French speed cameras?

Because we drive in to France at the Ventimiglia border regularly,
and if I ever do get caught by one of those hand-held jobbies and
stopped, they would flag up all the outstanding tickets (if I had
any) and possibly do me for the lot.


The issue is terminology, then. A 'hand-held jobbie' is a good old
fashioned radar trap. I assumed you meant automated speed cameras.


Yes I did, and they are not a problem normally, but could be if I was
stopped in a radar trap.

As it happens we were flashed on the way out of Moutiers yesterday when
I thought I'd set cruise control at 90, but it must have been 91 or
something like. Never mind.

Was also stopped a few minutes ago 200m from home, but the Carabinieri
looked at papers and then sent me on my way with a smile.


I may have it wrong, but isn't the tunnel coming out of Moutiers towards
Albertville 80 kmph and going towards Bourg 70?

It may of course be another car exceeding the speed limit. I was flashed
coming through Albertville in the 90 limit during the summer. It must
have been another car very near me because I did not receive a ticket.

The french police do appear to take an arbitary attitude towards road
offences. I was pulled over a few years ago for not having my headlights
on and fined. My wife was also pulled over at the exact same time - and
let off.

John

John

Champ wrote:

On Thu, 3 Jan 2008 23:22:40 +0100, "Roger Moss"
wrote:

Just printed off the Michelin route for my drive tomorrow from Boulogne
to Courchevel and noticed that not a single speed camera is listed.

I'm assuming you're British, in a UK registered car, yes?

So why would you care about French speed cameras?

You may not... but you get still caught on a hand-held roadside speed-cam

I don't think there's any such thing as a 'hand held roadside
speed-cam'. I think you're talking about a radar trap. The OP was
asking (I thought) about fixed site speed cameras that could be shown
on a map.

With autoroute speed limits of 130km/h (110 in wet weather) things here in
France are less restrictive than in many other countries, so you can still
cover real distances in a reasonable time.

Yes, I know - I've done many thousands of miles on them. Before the
age of Easyjet, I used to drive to Chamonix for a weekend.

On the other hand, freezing rain is currently causing major road carnage on
the roads of Europe, and if you hit this you won't get any warning. Don't
push your luck - and you'll get to enjoy your skiing.

When I want condescending and sanctimonious advice on my driving, I'll
ask for it, TYVM.

No Champ, he's right. Best to slow down if freezing rain is forecast.
For instance, I don't exceed 190km/h in heavy rain. Perhaps 206km/h if
it is straight four-lane blacktop.

I like the image of a sudden descent of 'freezing rain' suddenly
causing loss of control of the vehicle because it was doing 111km/h.
Like these people who check the weather forecast before starting their
journey and drive slower if rain is forecast.

I mean, what would they do if a child jumped out in front of their
vehicle ? Anyone who is unable to react to emergencies as they happen
should not be on the road. They should be on a train. Preferably one
making a one way journey to the Kolyma River in the Soviet Arctic.

Altogether now: "If it saves one child's life !"

John Wilcock wrote:

Champ wrote:
So why would you care about French speed cameras?

You may not... but you get still caught on a hand-held roadside speed-cam

I don't think there's any such thing as a 'hand held roadside
speed-cam'. I think you're talking about a radar trap. The OP was
asking (I thought) about fixed site speed cameras that could be shown
on a map.

AFAIK the only hand-held speed gadgets used in France are radar only,
which are not linked to automated cameras (and for which
French-registered drivers get a ticket through the post) but instead
have a "reception committee" a few miles down the road.

On the other hand, they do have a number of unmarked cars with radar
cameras linked to the automated system. One favourite spot for those and
of interest to skiers is on the A43 back from Albertville, on the short
110 km/h stretch just after Montmelian immediately before the junction
with the A41.


Unmarked cars ? French cop cars can be effectively unmarked (blue with
a blue light) but unmarked cars are not permitted by French law.

I guess there must be an exception for a "mobile camera mounting
point".

After the great speeding offensive of a few years back, French cops
received hand-held laser radar units to replace their old tripod
mounted continuous emission radar units which could be detected at a
similar distance to Radio Belgrade.

They have changed tactics from parking the radar units behind roadside
obstacles firing into the back of vehicles, to standing on bridges
firing into the front of vehicles, so you can get fair warning if you
tell the co-driver to keep his eyes peeled while you watch the road
and the tachometer.

The rest of the tactics are the same: A couple of km down the road
there is a police motorbike which gives chase. Alternatively the trap
is set a couple of km before a toll.

Always calculate your toll payment as you trap the first toll and have
the co-driver prepare the cash to the exact amount. You can see the
cops on the other side of the tolls looking for the cars. If there is
no traffic and you keep your eyes peeled you can take evasive action
and swing to one side of the tolls, hand over the cash and be gone
while they are still running toward you. Well, ambling toward you as
French cops do not break into a run, nor a sweat.

Remember that manned speed traps knock off 17:00 sharp and do not
operate in darkness, so you can go hell bent for leather at night.
After a long hard fast drive, relax over beer or two (not French beer,
obviously), and once suitably fortified, meander back to one's hotel
being sure to take your crampons down the side of any Toyota Prius you
can see parked up, then spray-paint "Eco-Marxist Vermin" onto the
windshield (in mirror image, obviously)


There are various other amendments to NATOPS for speeding in France
but they are beyond the scope of this post.

On Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:10:47 +0000, in
, funkraum
wrote:

John Wilcock wrote:

On the other hand, they do have a number of unmarked cars with radar
cameras linked to the automated system. One favourite spot for those and
of interest to skiers is on the A43 back from Albertville, on the short
110 km/h stretch just after Montmelian immediately before the junction
with the A41.


Unmarked cars ? French cop cars can be effectively unmarked (blue with
a blue light) but unmarked cars are not permitted by French law.

You are mistaken, Sir. I've been nicked once by, and seen but avoided
a couple of times, a silver Renault Clio with a camera mounted in a
cutout on the tailgate. With a senior traffic bod, scrambled eggs on
his hat, gay leather boots and all, in control. They had a magnetic
blue light they put on top to chase me but was most certainly not
'marked' in any way.

True. We call these cars: "les voitures banalisées", means they have
been made to create the confusion with a civil car.

The french police do appear to take an arbitary attitude towards road
offences. I was pulled over a few years ago for not having my headlights
on and fined. My wife was also pulled over at the exact same time - and
let off.

John

John- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You are a bloke and your wife a gal I assume. This is not arbitrary
then. It's France for you...

Ace wrote:
wrote:

John Wilcock wrote:

On the other hand, they do have a number of unmarked cars with radar
cameras linked to the automated system. One favourite spot for those and
of interest to skiers is on the A43 back from Albertville, on the short
110 km/h stretch just after Montmelian immediately before the junction
with the A41.


Unmarked cars ? French cop cars can be effectively unmarked (blue with
a blue light) but unmarked cars are not permitted by French law.

You are mistaken, Sir. I've been nicked once by, and seen but avoided
a couple of times, a silver Renault Clio with a camera mounted in a
cutout on the tailgate. With a senior traffic bod, scrambled eggs on
his hat, gay leather boots and all, in control. They had a magnetic
blue light they put on top to chase me but was most certainly not
'marked' in any way.


God's arse and jawbone, Sir, my commiserations.

I was going to say "I will find out when this law came in" but if it
is here .... it is here. It must have come in with the last round of
speeding legislation.

Also explains an interesting event reported by a friend which
happened in his rear view mirror. Basically he saw blue flashing light
suddenly appear which rapidly disappeared as he sped onwards. He told
that he had not noticed a police car or speed trap, and so we just
dismissed the event. Probably one of your Clios. A murrain upon them.

On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:29:46 +0000, in
, funkraum
wrote:

Ace wrote:
wrote:

Unmarked cars ? French cop cars can be effectively unmarked (blue with
a blue light) but unmarked cars are not permitted by French law.

You are mistaken, Sir. I've been nicked once by, and seen but avoided
a couple of times, a silver Renault Clio with a camera mounted in a
cutout on the tailgate. With a senior traffic bod, scrambled eggs on
his hat, gay leather boots and all, in control. They had a magnetic
blue light they put on top to chase me but was most certainly not
'marked' in any way.


God's arse and jawbone, Sir, my commiserations.

No worries. I'm on Swiss plates and licence, so I think they were much
more ****ed off than me anyway when I paid the 160Eu fine (did me for
dangerous driving too - overtaking on a white line[1] ) with a "Like I
really give a toss" attitude. Apparently they'd clocked me a couple of
times before as well. Sod 'em, I say, unless they start to try and
enforce the vehicle confiscation rules...

I was going to say "I will find out when this law came in" but if it
is here .... it is here. It must have come in with the last round of
speeding legislation.

This was four or five years back, so not due to a recent change.

Also explains an interesting event reported by a friend which
happened in his rear view mirror. Basically he saw blue flashing light
suddenly appear which rapidly disappeared as he sped onwards. He told
that he had not noticed a police car or speed trap, and so we just
dismissed the event. Probably one of your Clios. A murrain upon them.

Indeed. Of course, had I had my wits about me, I should have booted it
even more when I saw the lights quite a long way behind me - they
_may_ have caught me up at the next village, but they were far enough
off for me to have not noticed, IYSWIM, so it wouldn't have been any
worse for me if they had done so.

[1] Stupid placement of these seems to be the norm - it's very rare to
get the solid/dashed lines like you get in the UK, so even when you're
leaving a village the white line continues for quite some time into
safe overtaking territory. I completely ignore them, of course,
although it ****es[2] off a lot of French drivers, for some reason :-)
[2] So they flash me. I've never understood this - it's not as if
they're squeky clean on sticking to the rules, but when I overtake
them, quite safely, inconveniencing them not at all, but on a white
line, they seem to go ape**** about it. Like I give a toss.