Adventure Bike Rider Forum

As you are probably aware, many of France's speed cameras have recently been either burned down by protesters or removed by the authorities to prevent that from happening. Well the burn-fest seems to have died down and new devices are beginning to appear. Looks as though the government is taking the chance to upgrade while replacing the damaged units. My own local main road has two sites being prepared with fresh concrete slabs and wiring ready for an installation, and I passed a brand new type of camera near Confolens on Sunday. So if you are over here, keep a look out. They are not necessarily sign-posted and the new ones don't have reflective tape/paint on them. They are much taller and black. Presumably harder to necklace. Some are also being attached to very tall lamp posts above junctions.

Basically the first you will know of one is when its too late to scrub off the speed. Which means either 30 or 50kmh in towns. Sometimes 70 on the approach to a village/town, 80kmh on single carriageway N-roads (90kmh where it's dual) and 130kmh on the autoroutes (110 if its raining). Yawn.

So if you were one of those, like me in the late 80s/90s, that treated France like a giant racetrack, then think yourself lucky that you had those days to exercise your bike properly - because now the fun is well and truly over.

In fact I would challenge anybody, who is not very familiar with all the locations, to do a long-distance trip across France on varied roads without setting something off at some point. In my car I am constantly setting and re-setting the cruise control, and you daren't get into a decent conversation with a passenger in case you lose concentration on your speedo and the speed signs for a moment. This is not safety-related accident prevention; it's a trap to raise money, learnt from blighty I suspect.

Do France give you 10% on the speed?

I hate loads of cameras, it's very annoying for me as I always stuck around the speed limits and I was always careful in town and I'll keep my speed down in built up areas even if the speed limit is higher, but even then I was paying more attention to the road. Now I spend more time speedo watching than keeping an eye on the road in front of me.
Modern vehicles can easily drift over any speed limit without you noticing, I'm not talking 80mph on an A road I'm talking about 60-65 on a good clear A road, or 31-32mph on a boring clear bit of town, you then notice and drop back below the limit but now it's easy to get a speeding fine for that moment of inattention to the speedo, especially on a large cc bike.

Steve

bowber wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:15 pm Do France give you 10% on the speed?

I hate loads of cameras, it's very annoying for me as I always stuck around the speed limits and I was always careful in town and I'll keep my speed down in built up areas even if the speed limit is higher, but even then I was paying more attention to the road. Now I spend more time speedo watching than keeping an eye on the road in front of me.
Modern vehicles can easily drift over any speed limit without you noticing, I'm not talking 80mph on an A road I'm talking about 60-65 on a good clear A road, or 31-32mph on a boring clear bit of town, you then notice and drop back below the limit but now it's easy to get a speeding fine for that moment of inattention to the speedo, especially on a large cc bike.

Steve

Recent survey by AA reports about 5% flat tolerance in France (no % plus a bit) - so not much leeway before you're nicked! Can't find the original report, but there's a summary here: https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-ne ... -stricter/

Taller cameras !!!!!..........................spray can on a pole

Not been to France for about 5 years, till last year, and I noticed how much more prevalent the 30kph town limits are, with speed bumps to help remind you of it. In Germany a couple of weeks ago and they seem to have caught the 30kph in town fever too.

PHILinFRANCE wrote: ↑Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:24 am Taller cameras !!!!!..........................spray can on a pole

Petrol disc cutter and diwn with pole, every builder has one lol... Or a dodgy number plate 8 instead of 6 lol... Or just stick to D roads they are so muxh nicer..

Tramp wrote: ↑Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:27 am

PHILinFRANCE wrote: ↑Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:24 am Taller cameras !!!!!..........................spray can on a pole

Petrol disc cutter and diwn with pole, every builder has one lol... Or a dodgy number plate 8 instead of 6 lol... Or just stick to D roads they are so muxh nicer..

Sorry Russ, but apparently the new cameras can take pics of their surroundings too, via movement sensors, and can even phone the police to tell them that they are being attacked. So it's got to be balaclavas and move fast!

They are on D-roads too. Your best bet is still twisty mountain roads, D or C, away from villages, where you can have a proper blat without too much chance of a snap.

Meanwhile the french air force buzzes our place once a week at about 600mph....

Got the dreaded funny lookin' envelope a week after I got back.

8:30 AM, a Sunday, empty m/way (ok, 1 7.5t truck and a wee van in the 30 miles from St Omer) on the way to the chunnel. Heeded all the warnings about "they are out to get us" and pootled about at 60mph. Obviously did not take how serious you need to taking "pootling" when you are dealing with fkn robots.

1mph over the threshold. *click* ... 46 Euros s'il vous plait. Reckon it was in a 90kph zone and I think I was over by 8mph.

I'll be back in France on the same bike so just paid.

Its been a few months now and had nothing through for the really baaad speeding. So I count that as a win.

daveuprite wrote: ↑Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:23 am They are on D-roads too. Your best bet is still twisty mountain roads, D or C, away from villages, where you can have a proper blat without too much chance of a snap.

Sounds just like the UK, go fast where cars can't, and you'll probably not get any camera bother.

stramasher wrote: ↑Wed Aug 14, 2019 1:47 pm Got the dreaded funny lookin' envelope a week after I got back.

8:30 AM, a Sunday, empty m/way (ok, 1 7.5t truck and a wee van in the 30 miles from St Omer) on the way to the chunnel. Heeded all the warnings about "they are out to get us" and pootled about at 60mph. Obviously did not take how serious you need to taking "pootling" when you are dealing with fkn robots.

1mph over the threshold. *click* ... 46 Euros s'il vous plait. Reckon it was in a 90kph zone and I think I was over by 8mph.

I'll be back in France on the same bike so just paid.

Its been a few months now and had nothing through for the really baaad speeding. So I count that as a win.

Yep, there's very little lee-way. If you read the 'Avis De Contravention', which should have accompanied your fine letter, it says on the back that "Up to 100kmh, there is a 5% allowance for fixed cameras, and a 10% allowance for hand-held radars".

And I have found that no discretion is used for circumstances, empty road, etc. It's strict. And you pay less if you settle it quickly (e.g. a 68 Euro fine is reduced to 45 if you pay within 15 days).