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Why British roads are better than French roads



Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
Yesterday i was driving the family back from the Vendee. As the French so often do, they route a main 'motorway' through, rather than round town so we'd already lost an hour at Angers and getting near Rouen town centre.

The bridge over the river we needed in Rouen has been shut for some months due to a tanker fire and it was a holiday weekend, so traffic was heavy but moving. However, the traffic planners thought it would be a good idea to divert then 'kettle' all those returning to the channel ports in a 10 mile stretch of 'peage' toll road about 10 miles north of Rouen.

The only indication of the impending doom on the A29 was one notice that described the road as "tres difficile". We took this to mean a bit slow, or a lane closed. However, having taken a ticket and got onto the road within 100 yards we were confronted with a solid traffic jam for 10 miles. Unbelievably, it had been caused by the 'peage' itself - no accidents, no cones, just the sheer act of stopping the traffic to get on and having insufficient barrier operators to get people off.

No information, no exits. 10 miles. 2 hours, 1 missed ferry and €5 euros for the privilege. The excuse - "Deviation and holiday'. Hundreds of families delayed, massive travel chaos. I then like many had to drive the last 80-odd miles like the wind to get to Calais. We later found out this traffic jam had been reported as early as 10.55 that morning.

We then queued for 1 and a half hours to board the last MyFerry out of Calais a mere 15 mins before scheduled departure, squeezing out genuine passengers for the 21.30 further back in the queue.

Luckily kids were as good as gold, but paying €100+ on the peage for the equivalent of driving to Scotland and back is shit, especially with so many delays.

Returning to the UK we were nitified that 2 junctions of the M25 were shut some 85 miles before that point. Proper information in a timely fashion.

Our roads are brilliant by comparison and God help us if we introduce toll roads on a widespread scale. I'll be giving France a miss for a few years after yesterday.
 
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hybrid_x

Banned
Jun 28, 2011
2,225
france....nice...but unforunately has alot of french people there.......their road management reflects their people.....arrogant.
 






Diego Napier

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2010
4,416
I know what you mean, I've never had to wait in an unnecessary traffic jam on British roads.
 




Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
This traffic jam took motorists off roads that were moving and put them in section of peage that had been completely full for hours, presumably to make money on a busy holiday Saturday. A simple '16k queue on A29' in the preceding 50 miles would have avoided disaster for thousands of motorists.

I have no problem with normal jams,it's just the French seem experts at creating a disaster from a minor problem.
 


Iggle Piggle

Well-known member
Sep 3, 2010
5,281
Pav - I'm with you (see my post in the Worst holiday thread). We were held up on the Paege's for hours in July, so I bet this has been happening all summer. There was one Kid in a Hi Viz when we got to the front of the queue. The Paege's held us up for around 4 hours. When I mentioned this to my neighbours who think that one man and his dog drive in France they commented that ''It will be quieter in August'' Obviously not.

Portgual next year.
 


Iggle Piggle

Well-known member
Sep 3, 2010
5,281
I know what you mean, I've never had to wait in an unnecessary traffic jam on British roads.

I've never waited on the M6 toll for more than half a dozen cars to pay and get to the other side (Well, apart from the day I was on the toll during the fake cigarette Mega bus bombings)

I was stuck in a 10 mile jam for 2 hours in France waiting to pay them.

It's one thing being stuck in a jam caused by accidents. It's another thing being stuck solely to pay for the privilege.
 




I've never waited on the M6 toll for more than half a dozen cars to pay and get to the other side
That may be because the British have an inherent distaste for the concept of toll roads and work on the principle that "I've paid my road tax and I'm therefore ENTITLED to sit in a queue at Spaghetti Junction, rather than pay for the privilege of by-passing it quickly".
 


Iggle Piggle

Well-known member
Sep 3, 2010
5,281
That may be because the British have an inherent distaste for the concept of toll roads and work on the principle that "I've paid my road tax and I'm therefore ENTITLED to sit in a queue at Spaghetti Junction, rather than pay for the privilege of by-passing it quickly".

The £5.50 for the M6 toll is worth every penny but you are right there are some who won't use it.

It took me 6 months to convince a guy from work to pay for it even though he could claim it back on expenses and it would be quicker without fail the twice a week he would use it.
 


marshy68

Well-known member
Jul 10, 2011
2,868
Brighton
france....nice...but unforunately has alot of french people there.......their road management reflects their people.....arrogant.

The irony of your post reflects your ignorance and shows your brain size to be very small who is using the family brain cell today?
 




CheeseRolls

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jan 27, 2009
5,922
Shoreham Beach
That may be because the British have an inherent distaste for the concept of toll roads and work on the principle that "I've paid my road tax and I'm therefore ENTITLED to sit in a queue at Spaghetti Junction, rather than pay for the privilege of by-passing it quickly".

I don't mind paying the tolls in France at all, you just have to factor it into the cost of a holiday. I am with Pav though in objecting to the way it is collected. 50% of the toll goes to the road cost and the remainder to employing every village idiot for kilometres around. Put some technology in so that people can actually pass swiftly and the problem goes away.
 


BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
I must have been very lucky because on the many trips to France and the various routes through it I have never ever been held up in a traffic jam for more than 10 minutes on any road. Some have been slow but we have kept moving at all times.
 


Peter Grummit

Well-known member
Oct 13, 2004
6,769
Lewes
Just back from Languedoc/Roussillon and I'm with the OP, the worst jams we encountered were queuing for the Peage. Particularly bad coming back from Spain as the EU free market failed to prevent everything being a lot cheaper in Spain, and half of southern France going there for their shopping. That and everywhere being closed for lunch, (including the snack bar on the camp site can you believe) were the only blights on a great trip.

PG
 




Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,765
Herts
Slightly O/T, but not completely.

Winner of funniest road sign I've ever seen: Driving in the rural Haute Savoie on small roads. Came to a T-junction. Only two signs: One way, "Toutes Directions"; other way, "Autres Directions". I kid you not.....
 


yxee

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2011
2,521
Manchester
Dartford tunnel every single evening at 10pm, it is free but they still insist on making the barriers open and close, the result is a 5 mile tailback for absolutely no reason.
 


Beach Hut

Brighton Bhuna Boy
Jul 5, 2003
71,903
Living In a Box
I remember once driving over the border from Spain to France and have never seen such huge queues for petrol in my life as the garage just before the cross over however this was pre-Euro days.

Is petrol cheaper in Spain than France still ?
 






Slightly O/T, but not completely.

Winner of funniest road sign I've ever seen: Driving in the rural Haute Savoie on small roads. Came to a T-junction. Only two signs: One way, "Toutes Directions"; other way, "Autres Directions". I kid you not.....
I've seen this in Brittany too.

It's a standard of confusing direction signing that is only reached in Britain when West Sussex County Council are given the job. But that's another rant.
 


vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,867
I would think this is very unusual, French roads are usually free moving, smoother, repaired better and cleaner. I wish we had their network instead of all our outdated, cobbled together bits of road which are constantly under repair or under construction with seemingly no completion date.
 



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