FRENCH ROAD FUND LICENSE

[audio]

Another nail in the coffin?

It’s only a matter of time and that probably won’t be long.

[connolls]

Confused ???

Mel.

[Sunday Driver]

Is this fact or just idle speculation?  [8-)]

 

 

[sid]

Come on, Audio, tell us what you've seen... and where!

[audio]

Speculation? possibly, idle no. Most countries do have some form of road taxation even with toll roads and as Sarko is thinking ‘what can I tax next?’ I would think there is a strong possibility of it.

[idun]

A sort of road fund licence still exists for commercial vehicules, is that what you are thinking of?

Actually we were paying it 'not' that long ago anyway. Once a year, bought from the Tabac every autumn. If they bring it back, I won't be surprised.

[Val_2]

One of the reasons it stopped was that it cost more to collect than what they actually received because so many people keep their cars longer here in France which reduces the amount payable each year. I used to pay about 350Ff for the car and about €250Ff for the works vehicle before it was stopped. You still pay tax on vehicles if you have four or more company vehicles, otherwise commercials under 3.5T do not pay for a vignette.

[audio]

All road users Idun and it will bring in a great deal of revenue but my ‘advisor’ suggests after the ’12 presidential elections, as at the moment Nick has a good chance of winning.

[Frederick]

 Val 2 wrote : One of the reasons it stopped was that it cost more to collect than what they actually received

Given the new Number Plate Recognition Cameras  that are in use these days . I imagine the cost has come down a lot for enforcement ... Camera snaps you a computer checks if you are legal and if not I suspect the fine letter is printed off  addressed  and in an envelope before you have got a mile down the road ...

[Clarkkent]

The Road Fund Licence was abolished in Britain in 1935. Why should Sarkozy be interested in ti?

[Val_2]

Yes but you are only snapped if you break the law as far as I know and we only have one camera inthis region and you can easily go another route. The original vignettes were very easily spotted by the number on the windscreen and the year, so anyone without one the current colour was easily spottable by the law. The car we have stored away still has five on the windscreen from the day it was registered here.

[idun]

As far as I am aware the original vignettes on cars in France was to help pay the old age pension, not to fund roads, and they could be expensive for cars with a high CV.

Val 2, our friends pay for their company vehicules, didn't realise that it was only if a company owned several and they do.

[Frederick]

[quote user="Val_2"]Yes but you are only snapped if you break the law as far as I know and we only have one camera inthis region and you can easily go another route. The original vignettes were very easily spotted by the number on the windscreen and the year, so anyone without one the current colour was easily spottable by the law. The car we have stored away still has five on the windscreen from the day it was registered here.[/quote]

 Nunber plate recognition cameras do not take a photo of the car . Just  the cars plate on every car as it passes and the mumber is automatically fed into a computer for the owners details to flag up . Any reason for further action to contact the registered owner then kicks in .   This is an example of what they can do..

 

Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems are set to be deployed by police forces throughout the UK as a major plank of a campaign of "denying criminals the use of the roads." The system will link up to the DVLA, Police National Computer and a National Insurance Database, with these links alone giving it the capability of identifying untaxed, unroadworthy and uninsured vehicles, but they'll also facilitate police surveillance operations, the swapping of data on "prolific offenders" between forces and, well, other stuff... Take this, for instance:

"Eventually the database will link to most CCTV systems in town centres, meaning that all vehicles filmed on one of the many cameras protecting Bedford High Street, for instance, can be checked against the database and the movements of wanted cars traced to help with serious crime investigations."

The quotation is from a supplement to last week's issue of Bedfordshire on Sunday, paid for by the Bedfordshire Police Authority, but is based on a press release issued by the Authority earlier this year in support of "National APNR Day." Should this festival have passed you, like us, entirely by, you'll find some details here. Some 26 forces across the UK took part in the day, 21st May, checking 60,000 vehicles over a six hour period, resulting in 2,000 "activations", of which over 1,000 were reported for offences, with 65 arrests being made.

[Val_2]

That is in the UK from your info,would the same apply here? CCTV cameras here, thats a laugh, not even in the city where my son lives right in the main centre part - only google street, but lots of police municipale about although they just stood and watched when he and his lady friend were mugged in front of them the other year,so they are pretty useless as well. However we don't want this country to go the way of the UK with nannying by do-gooders and cameras everywhere you go.

[Frederick]

I agree Val I hate the idea of being watched all the time ... But as a government way of catching non road tax payers it would be a money spinner for any country to use these number recognition cameras .

[idun]

We had one of the earliest speed cameras near our village. Not where the road was dangerous, but where it was not. In it's early days we see it decorated with naughty french words, black paint and toilet paper. And as soon as it was cleaned up, someone would have another go. Eventually, they seemed to stop going quite so mad with their protest, who ever it was,  although there was often black spray paint on the lens.

[breizh]

The cameras are already in place, the political will is there, the collection method will be an extension of something else already in place. What's to stop it happening?

There is probably just as many cameras de surveillance here as in the UK, but they are not so promenently on display. Personally, I think that is wrong, as it removes any deterent value. There was a police mouthpeice on TV a couple of days ago, saying how safe the A86 was now, as there was a camera every 80m. Can't say I've even seen one! Every public office and building seems to be plastered with them, once you've seen one, you'll start noticing them everywhere.

[partout]

Hi there, I understand from our french colleagues that the road fund is now included/collected when you pay for car insurance.

[Pickles]

Is this to do with a proposal to charge 0.12€/km for vehicles (presumably goods) over 3.5T that I read about the other day? Or has there been a U-turn on that already?

Regards

Pickles