French Peage booths for bikes

[timeandtide]

Great.

They really are very easy.

Most of the problems encountered by bikermates on the payage are self-inflicted, involving:

(I) Bods trying to get two or more bikes through the barrier at once to avoid 'rip-off' charges

(II) Bods trying to use Caxton type pre-loaded cash cards

(III) Bods only ever wanting to use cash, even though they entered the credit card lane, as they "Do not trust any banks not to rip you off, mate" through to, "I refuse to have cards as they monitor your movements", right up to "I won't use a card as I don't trust myself not to spend money". Believe me, I've heard all three and more than once. To which might be added, "I aint got no foreign money, mate" a not unknown wail of real distress.

(IV) Bods losing their tickets and / or letting the tickets get soaking wet

(V) Bods panicking when confronted by a machine that - despite its simplicity - seems to defeat the British mind which (as when confronted with a foreign fuel pump) cannot possibly imagine how it might work ... oh, and it's being 'In foreign'

(VI) Bods - as they want to stick it to the man and protest at this form of outrageous taxation - deliberately being slow, taking off their gloves, withdrawing their wallet, slow to pay, slowly putting their gloves back on, slowly riding away. Actually, this is not a problem for the bod himself, it's just that everyone else thinks he's a prat.

And / or all or any combination of the above.

You'll be fine. Trust me.

You're in a very mellow mood!

 

[alan29]

Or use the superb system of N and D roads and see something of the country.

 

[Wapping]

Or use the superb system of N and D roads and see something of the country.

Great advice but sadly useless if anyone wants to get from Calais to Nice in a day, leaving their ferry at noon and enjoying an hour or two over lunch.

Of much more interest and pressing importance is the French police's interception of Payage tag data and its its subsequent use to fine the unwary British bikermate a King's ransom.

 

[Steptoe]

. If it doesn't show your mighty steed as class 5 you just press the call button and when the operator answers simply SHOUT the magic phrase "classe cinq sil vous plait, POR FAVOR" and lo and behold the price will go down

, throwing euros at baskets, ...

I always look forward to that very enjoyable game..

 

[Green Boy]

Just for the cre'ach, I can confirm that if your tag stops working as they will after a point in time as all things including silicon are finite, a quick trip to the APRR website had a new one from France to my place in the UK in less than a week. However if yours stop working en route for some reason then I'm fairly sure you can hand it to an attendent and they will scan the bar code so you can still don't need to fumble for change.

Whatever you decide to do/use, have a great time.

 

[stolzy]

Just for the cre'ach, I can confirm that if your tag stops working as they will after a point in time as all things including silicon are finite, a quick trip to the APRR website had a new one from France to my place in the UK in less than a week. However if yours stop working en route for some reason then I'm fairly sure you can hand it to an attendent and they will scan the bar code so you can still don't need to fumble for change.way.

Whatever you decide to do/use, have a great time.

Indeed, even in the automated ones you can press the help button and they can scan it remotely and send you on your way.

 

[sagalout]

I used a tag for the first time this year. Bloody revelation it was! Also, travelling on 'Black Saturday' it saved a fair bit of time at several paege booths where there were long queues for the non tag lanes.

 

[er-minio]

If you use a telepeage tag they can and will fine you for speeding between the peage booths. They add it to your bill. They can't do it if you just pay cash or card for each section.

And where did this golden nugget of information arrive from?

This myth existed in Italy as well. And well before they introduced the Telepass (electronic payment).
People stopped repeating this dumb mantra sometimes around the 90ies...

Funny to see it still lives today in its French variant.



Use a bloody credit card. Done.
Just don't use Amex of course.

 

[Magwych]

I did find that on Vinci operated Autoroutes some of their machines have trouble recognising that you are there. If they do not detect the presence if a vehicle they will not scan for a Tag, nor issue a ticket.
We were on the CCMs in June and had issues getting through most of the Vinci tolls. If you are on a heavier machine it may not be an issue; if you are heading south, and bypass Paris via Chartres the junction at Allaines (J12) on the A10 was particularly troublesome. I had to wait over 5 minutes to get assistance on the intercom. Managed to block up most of the roads around with the tailback


Sent from my SM-G388F using Tapatalk

 

[Peirre O`Bollox]

If you use a telepeage tag they can and will fine you for speeding between the peage booths. They add it to your bill. They can't do it if you just pay cash or card for each section.

is it April 1st already?

Just for the cre'ach, I can confirm that if your tag stops working as they will after a point in time as all things including silicon are finite

I don`t know if anyone can substantiate the idea, but like all urban myths here goes ..... I recently read that the battery life of toll tags can be shortened by being kept in close proximity of a mobile phone (ie: kept in your jacket pocket near the phone). something about the tag reacting to the frequency generated by the phone & activating it to transmit its data, as if the tag was responding to peage transponder.

Possible or myth??

 

[Magnet]

This myth existed in Italy as well. And well before they introduced the Telepass (electronic payment).
People stopped repeating this dumb mantra sometimes around the 90ies...

Funny to see it still lives today in its French variant.

It has happened to a member on here. I'm sure he'll identify himself if he wants to get involved.

 

[Wapping]

It has happened to a member on here. I'm sure he'll identify himself if he wants to get involved.

Do you mean the nutty Nemesis is this thread?

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/97326-French-autoroutes-anyone-used-a-liber-t-tag

Post#8 onwards.

If not, point us properly in the direction of who it was, please.

Unfortunately, Stolzy is no longer with us.

 

[er-minio]

It has happened to a member on here.

It'd be interesting.

I grew up in a country with tool booths (Italy) so I don't find them exotic and/or cannot see any complexity in negotiating your way through them and, for all I know, the story of being "timed" at the exit is an urban myth.
Also, given the distance between the booths, you'd have to keep a pretty fucking high average speed (whoever tells the story says "it happened at night").

In addition, I'd like to see how you can be charged again on your card after going through a fast payment system (no pin, etc) at a later stage.


Just one additional note/question on the electronic tag payment in France. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I just came back (by car) yesterday from Italy and I'm going back at the end of September near Nice (by bike).
Since I travel quite regularly through France I 'm considering getting the telepage thingie. I checked the site earlier and it still says you'll have to get it manually scanned to get a category 5 fee, otherwise you pay like a car. Not a massive issue, but, did they change that as well? Can you just ride through now and be charged cat 5?

 

[Wapping]

To answer your question. I have a Sanef Payage automatic bleeper thing. I use it in my car and on my motorbike. I have never handed it to a fellow in a booth, not least as most of the toll lanes are now unmanned, so there is often nobody to hand it to, even if I wanted to.

The automatic system has never failed to charge me for a car, when I'm in my car and as a motorbike, when I'm on my motorbike.

The great news is that, I have never been billed for speeding between toll booths, based on evidence contained in the bleeper thing.

 

[er-minio]

The automatic system has never failed to charge me for a car, when I'm in my car and as a motorbike, when I'm on my motorbike.

Cool, good to know, thanks.
I'll get one.
When I'm travelling alone by car I have to stretch a fair bit to reach the tickets

The great news is that, I have never been billed for speeding between toll booths, based on evidence contained in the bleeper thing.

LOL - I'll risk it!

 

[MattW]

I'm definitely going to get a tag for next time, if only to save 'er 'ont back getting het up faffing around with gloves, purse, money etc (and then having to park after the booths to reverse the faffing process).

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

I'm definitely going to get a tag for next time, if only to save 'er 'ont back getting het up faffing around with gloves, purse, money etc (and then having to park after the booths to reverse the faffing process).

I like the idea of one of these Tag thinghies too but despite having read countless posts on here about them I am still totally flummoxed as to how they work, how much they charge, how they know I'm on a bike etc etc etc.

I'm going to wait until Wapping does another of his World Famous Wanders & try to tag along on that so I can watch the voodoo in action .

 

[Green Boy]

is it April 1st already?

I don`t know if anyone can substantiate the idea, but like all urban myths here goes ..... I recently read that the battery life of toll tags can be shortened by being kept in close proximity of a mobile phone (ie: kept in your jacket pocket near the phone). something about the tag reacting to the frequency generated by the phone & activating it to transmit its data, as if the tag was responding to peage transponder.

Possible or myth??

Can't comment on the technicality of the tag but from my experience (of one tag), the battery lasted about 4-5 years

 

[GrinningGSer]

This may seem an obvious: some machines give you a card ( as you enter a chargeable zone ) and others receive that card as you leave ( to collect your class 5 distance payment ), although some sections charge as you enter . It's very obvious when you roll up to the machine .
I have yet to experience what happens if you've lost the given card .

 

[leadfarmer]

If you loose the ticket I believe they charge you the cost from the furthest toll point (the first one) on the route that you could have come from
Luckily never had the situation