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Peage barriers


CeeJay
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[quote user="Alan Zoff"]Yes, I did Coops. As often happens, another post was being made as I was writing my original one (I must get faster) so I added the last bit to answer the later post.[/quote]Phew. [:)]

Another forum I am on tells you if somebody else has responded to a post whilst you've been typing and asks if you want to re-think your own post - a really useful feature, imo, as this happens a lot to me.

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[quote user="NickP"]

[quote user="Polly"][/quote]

As for Chancer being too mean to spend any money on the auto route, once again thats your choice mate, but driving from Le Mans to Calais on the secondary roads behind all those Spanish lorries I don't think so ?  life's too short  [:P][/quote]

Only a few years ago I would have agreed with you but times change and one must adapt or go under.

In 1984 I travelled to the Monaco grand prix, so it would have been this time of year with a buddy in my grand-dads old split screen Veedub camper, it had not been legally on the road for over 10 years and struggled to maintain 50mph on anything but the flat.

We avoided the autoroutes completely on financial grounds and the fact that we broke down frequently and had to effect repairs at the side of the road.

From memory the journey took us 48 hours of non stop driving tank to tank one driving the other sleeping or cooking toast!

Oh and we loved the Spanish (and all other lorries and coaches) as if we sat about 18" from their rear end we could slip-stream them in neutral, it was a bit har on the nerves though as they would often brake test us and we whacked a few.

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[quote user="Chancer"]

As part of my ongoing economy regime I have all but stopped using them, there is very little traffic on most French roads so progress is rapid but for any significant journey it can still take twice as long. What gets me is the price people are willing to pay to use just one section of the autoroute of say 5 or 10 kms, its a couple of Euros and will save at best 10 minutes.

[/quote]

Chancer,

That does depend on where you live!  Here the motorway can sometimes be much the quickest way - and on my trip north (and later south) I could not have done it had I stuck to non-autoroute.  An example - Day 1 - Narbonne to The Loire by autoroute and last two hours (the shortest bit, by N route - very slow.  Day 2 - Loire to Calais, by N route - took all day (but admittedly I did stop at Giverny for a bit of R&R), but another time I'll be using the autoroute.  On my way back - Calais to Nantes - took much longer than expected, and that was on the autoroute - so when needed, hang the expense, I use them!

But if I've all the time in the world - I agree, much better off them!

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Chancer wrote:    "Only a few years ago I would have agreed with you but times change and one must adapt or go under."

Tell you what mate, let me know next time you are heading for Calais if I'm going the same day  you drive ever so close behind me and we could try and get two cars through the barrier for the price one. [:D]

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Well lots of votes for Alys, but it may not be the best option for CeeJay.

CeeJay does not say whether this trip to Montpellier is a one off or whether it could be a more regular journey.

So as I see it the Options are:

Alys - the doofer is free.

SANEF - you pay 2€ per month for the months you use it.

But also (and important if Montpellier is to be a regular destination)

APRR (Autoroute Paris Rhin Rhone) - 2€ per month (24 € per year) but if you subscribe to their Liberte option you get ine trip in 6 free between designated toll booths - so Rheims to Lyon or Paris to Lyon one trip in 6 free, means that if you travel 3 return trips per year or more you will have a better deal than with Alys.

ASF (Autoroute Sud de France) have a similar option for the stretch Lyon to Montpellier.  You would have to price up the APRR versus ASF options but I would guess that APRR would be marginally ahead.  Of course if travelling regularly, it could just pay to get both an APRR AND an ASF doofer and change them over depending on which part of the network you are on.  Just remember to put the one not in use back into its little plastic bag that it came in - otherwise both networks will charge you!!

 

What they all do is allow freedom across the (nearly) entire network of French toll roads without queueing or having to get out of the car at the booth.

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[quote user="NickP"]

Chancer wrote:    "Only a few years ago I would have agreed with you but times change and one must adapt or go under."

Tell you what mate, let me know next time you are heading for Calais if I'm going the same day  you drive ever so close behind me and we could try and get two cars through the barrier for the price one. [:D][/quote]

I have been known to do that as well NickP but you as the driver of the first car would be the one to pay so send me a PM next time you are going and I'll hitch up the big box trailer [;-)]

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Nick, I have never sat behind a queue of British cars on any péage.

But anyway, thank you for the info on Alis, I hadn't realised they offered free péage badges : when I last investigated options some time ago this one wasn't available and the prices of others put me off. As I said earlier, it always pays to read the contracts.

I have now downloaded the form and sent off for 2 Alis badges.

I never use their motorways so choosing which route to discount was like pinning the tail on a donkey.

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I am being a little lazy here but rather than dissect the information likely already given earlier in this post.....If I simply ask the France Forum Massive (Lol) what is the most economic way of using the peage for someone who travels from Bolougne to Alencon and back say 8 times a year?

If memory serves I think its the A16 and A28 we use and its about 23€ each way so say 50€ per trip x 8 = 400€ per annum......gosh that's an awful lot of beer!

Cheers ;-)

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The most economical way (money, not time) is to not use the péage although it would appear that I am the only one on the forum that would even consider doing so, it takes me on average twice as long for a given journey.

As I said earlier everyone would be up in arms if the price of diesel were to double bu that is effectively what you are paying to use the péage. 

For those that consider it unthinkable I remind them that not many years ago  France rolled along quite happily without toll roads and people reached their holiday destinations none the less, its a bit like mobile phones and computers, I live without a mobile but the computer? -Mmmm that really would have to be the last economy and probably a false one at that.

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[quote user="Chancer"]For those that consider it unthinkable I remind them that not many years ago  France rolled along quite happily without toll roads and people reached their holiday destinations none the less[/quote].

However, the traffic jams at peak times were horrendous ...

I seem to recall the last time we came down by car (a couple of years ago) it cost us about €100 each way to go from Calais to Montpellier, just in tolls. (EDIT: just checking on viamichelin, it is around 80€ each way: last time we came down it must've been with a trailer).

regards

Pickles

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[quote user="Pickles"][quote user="Chancer"]For those that consider it unthinkable I remind them that not many years ago  France rolled along quite happily without toll roads and people reached their holiday destinations none the less[/quote].

However, the traffic jams at peak times were horrendous ...

I seem to recall the last time we came down by car (a couple of years ago) it cost us about €100 each way to go from Calais to Montpellier, just in tolls. (EDIT: just checking on viamichelin, it is around 80€ each way: last time we came down it must've been with a trailer).

regards

Pickles

[/quote]

Just got the bill from my trip north (and back again) c1430 km on autoroutes, c100€, for all trips.  If it gets the journey done, it's money well spent.

There was a time when I was just like Chancer - but on this trip with limited time, the price to be paid for using autoroutes (and some,, eg A20) were partly free), was well worth it, IMHO.

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 A recent report states that the French auto routes are 5 times safer than other French road systems, and in the last ten years the number of fatal accidents on auto routes has dropped by 50%. Another good reason to use them, ask Cooperlola.

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Hi all, I must admit, we use both - Calais to Abbeville, Rouen. Then down to Dreux, Evreux and Chartres, then Orleans and Limoges. This is around 20e's in peage, the last bit from Vierzon to Limoges is no charge and the bit from Rouen to Orlean is no peage. Takes a while, but is a good run.
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The Dreux, Evreux, Chartres routes has been improved greatly since we first used it long ago, I used it northwards this time, (partly for remembrance but also because that day I did not have time contraints) but I was still shocked by how slow I found it compared with the transit on autorouotes at 110/120/.130.  Compared with that 90 seems so slow.....

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We usually do the Dreux, Evreux, Chartres route but today, heading towards the ferry we found the road closed at Chartres due (we think) to an accident somewhere. We cut our losses and headed for the autoroute and Paris.

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Somewhat confused as to how avoiding peage autoroutes works out cheaper. A friend insists on driving 700km down from Calais entirely on N roads. It takes him at least twice as long as the autotroute, and all that time his engine is running and burning fuel, he is constantly braking and accelerating - more fuel. Not to mention the extra wear on engine, tyres, and brakes. It's well known that motorway driving is far more fuel efficient, and less wearing on the car.

Sorry, I don't see the saving.

Patrick

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The only saving I would make is the toll itself. If driven sensibly, my car is certainly more efficient on the autoroute than on other roads. Added to which, I would have to include stopover costs if using ordinary roads because of the extra time it would take.
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[quote user="bixy"]Somewhat confused as to how avoiding peage autoroutes works out cheaper. A friend insists on driving 700km down from Calais entirely on N roads. It takes him at least twice as long as the autotroute, and all that time his engine is running and burning fuel, he is constantly braking and accelerating - more fuel. Not to mention the extra wear on engine, tyres, and brakes. It's well known that motorway driving is far more fuel efficient, and less wearing on the car.

Sorry, I don't see the saving.

Patrick

[/quote]


In my circumstances economy is king in every aspect of my life at the moment, I drive at 60mph max on the route nationales or the non peage autoroutes but it is very easy for the speed to creep up on the autoroutes, I know my mileage to within 2 mpg on any journey (I got 63mpg on a 200km round trip today) and I actually get slightly better economy on the route nationales than on the autoroutes mainly due to the fact that I inevitably drive a little faster.

If I use the peages the toll charges equal the cost of the diesel I consume and I do indeed use a bit more as it is very tiring and sometimes

dangerous to stick to 60mph.

So for me my costs more than double on using the peage sections of autoroutes.

Just to qualify when I checked the figures very carefully fuel did indeed cost less than it does now but the péage charges have gone up every year since and fuel prices have gone up and down again in that time

The next time you do a long journey just tot up what your fuel costs were and what the péage costs were, if you drive at sensible motorway speeds and perhaps have a petrol vehicle then the toll costs will be a lower percentage for you but still very significant.

If you dont need to watch the pennies then I agree the peage autoroutes are fantastic, you get to your destination much quicker and would be crazy not to use them but I would never kid myself that to travel on them is as economic as normal driving.

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I reckon these things are very hard to quantify.  A simple comparison between fuel costs and toll charges isn't enough.  Tyre and brake wear - in fact wear and tear on every aspect of your car - have to come into this somewhere.  In the days when I commuted 200miles a day by motorway in the UK, I was astonished to find  out how long my tyres lasted, for instance, compared to my o/h's car which just went back and forth to the station.  Although I guess mainetance costs are less of a factor if you can do it yourself - tyres, brakes, shockers etc, all have to be replaced and need to be accounted for, n'est-ce pas?
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  • 4 months later...
[quote user="Alan Zoff"]

Just found the email address of the helpful lady at Alis who sorted it for me:

[email protected]

[/quote]

Hmmmm....very rapid response, but sadly told me very clearly that unless I have a French bank account, there is no way to get a doofer :-(

Anyone know how to open a French bank account online without any French address ?

(keen to have the doofer for a trip to the South next year, so plenty of time to work out if it can be done....but I think I may just be left queuing !)

cheers
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