The Joys of Driving in France

[andyh4]

[quote user="Clair"][quote user="tonyinfrance"]... trucks don't use the autoroutes on Sundays - makes all the difference, especially getting around places like Lyon.  I now make inroads on a Saturday but leave the bulk of the journey to a Sunday.[/quote]
By law, trucks/lorries are not allowed on French roads from Sat. 22h to Sun. 22h en France, except if they transport perishable goods (fruit, fish, meat...). This restriction can be extended to bank holidays.
This applies to all lorries travelling in France, French or foreign registered, delivering in France or merely crossing the country.

Whether the police/gendarmes choose to stop those lorry drivers who drive during the restricted hours is another matter altogether.
[/quote]

 

This restriction can be extended to bank holidays.
No Clair

 

This restriction IS extended to bank holidays as well as Saturdays in the holiday periods (07:00 - 19:00)

 

The Sunday/Public holiday restriction starts at 22:00hrs on the day before the relevant holiday or Sunday

 

http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/_EN_Brochure_vehicules_lourds_14-12-2009_BAT-1_cle172bdc.pdf

 

 

V

yes I do know what you mean about the A6 and the only comment I can make is that the A7 is even worse!

 

Lyon + holiday times = nightmare travelling and for that reason alone a peage doofer is worth its weight in gold.

 

 

[bixy]

Yes, I have to admit that I seldom go near large towns in France. I live in a department 'that time forgot'  - very sparsely populated. But I have driven all over France with scarcely ever a problem. We used to live in the Manchester area and when we set off for Folkestone we never had any idea when we would arrive. It was not unusual to get stuck in a jam on the M1 or M25 for 2-3 hours. The trouble with the UK motorway system is that for a great deal of the time it is near maximum capacity. it only needs a small incident and wallop - everything grinds to a halt. The only time I have had that experience in France was once when passing through Lyon.

Patrick

[andyh4]

Perhaps I should also state that the gendrames frequently check on what trucks are carrying - often at the entry or exit of a relais.

 

Wooly's comment about carrying pipes is interesting and one that I had not considered up to now.  I guess that carrrying a load of pipes plus a few crates of tomatoes does constitute a cargo of perishable goods.