French Toll road payment

[Wapping]

Moving on from 2 Wheel Humvee's excellent tip on a brothel change holder. I would also recommend a simple peg to hold the payage ticket to the screen, thereby simplifying the onerous process of holding the ticket, twisting the throttle and operating the clutch all at the same time as the barrier rises.

I have one. It is a thing of wonder to others, bestowing a god-like status. Copy at will, I won't mind.

 

[stolzy]

I took the advice of Whatton and bought one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-DESIG..._Wallets&var=510159269815&hash=item4ac98c5b8a
specifically for use at French tolls, just load it with coins you get in your change at the bar/coffee shop/brothel-whatever and hand it to the toll operator with a self satisfied grin and a nonchalant shrug, she will be putty in your hands will thank you profusely and offer to extend your bloodline with a brood of little frogettes, ok I may have embellished a little but you get the picture.......it's easy to use, fits easily in a tank bag and you don't need to take off your gloves to use it, if the toll booth is staffed the teller will take what they need, if it is unstaffed this little device is easy to use yourself even with gloved hands, of course it wil save you no time at all unless all your mates are similarly equipped as I found out recently

Except that many toll booths don't take cash any more.

 

[Wapping]

Except that many toll booths don't take cash any more.

It's the end of the world

 

[Monsieur]

Except that many toll booths don't take cash any more.

Really?

 

[Wapping]

Really?

Following a change in the law, they are having to be specifically converted to be only card or electronic pass tag operated. The retro-fit cost probably runs into millions.

Remember, you read it here first.

 

[Monsieur]

Following a change in the law, they are having to be specifically converted to be only card or electronic pass tag operated. The retro-fit cost probably runs into millions.

Remember, you read it here first.

Better take my card then next week - my bag of eurocents is fast becoming bigger!

 

[Prawnini]

Using a card also allows the govt to track veh movement around Europe

 

[John Armstrong]

Using a card also allows the govt to track veh movement around Europe

I've got two bikes that I could take to France, how can they track one out of the two, just on my credit card payments?

 

[stolzy]

Using a card also allows the govt to track veh movement around Europe

I'd have thought ANPR would be easier than CC records

 

[Peirre O`Bollox]

My 1st experience with using the liber-t TAG on the bike this year didn`t start off smoothly, mainly due to my unfamiliarity with it, much waving of the damn thing in the direction of the scanner, shouting at the tannoy etc caused me to loose my cool the 1st 2-3 times I used it, but once I figured out to position it the right side up, and in the front left corner of my tank bag map pocket so it was facing the overhead reader, then it worked a treat, only on the odd occasion did I have to wiggle the bars or rock the bike for a few seconds to get the barrier to lift. There where no errors in the charges, with all being charged at the class 5 rate

As for euro coin holders, I have this : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Euro-Coin...plies_RL&var=560230385510&hash=item3cd699e108

 

[Wapping]

My experience with the tag mirror's P o' B's

My honest summation? If you are going to do just one or two limited jaunts into France in year, then don't bother with a smart tag. Stick to using the conventional credit card / cash method.

If you are going to be making regular visits or plan on doing miles upon miles on the tolled motorway network (on a family holiday in the car, say) then it may be worthwhile.

I make perhaps 10 crossings over to France in a year on my bike, usually with assorted numbers of Wanderers behind me. More often than not I just use the conventional method of payment. Why?

(1) I am never in a particularly great hurry. There is little point in me whipping through the barrier as I am only having to wait on the other side for the rest of the posse to come through.

(2) It avoids the real (and dangerous) possibility that a bike behind me will see the barrier rise automatically and try to follow me through and / or will get confused as to why it raised for me with apparently no action or payment.... Whilst they have to stop.

(3) Clearing perhaps 10 bikes through takes between 5 to 10 minutes. Most bods will want a stretch after maybe an hour of mind numbing superslab, so we might as well dawdle anyway.

In short:

In a hurry, on your own, or in the family car or with a couple of mates on bikes with a smart tag each? Great, go for it.

Not in a hurry, not in the family car, with a bunch of blokes none of which have a tag and / or might value a stretch? Don't bother.

 

[Peirre O`Bollox]

My original idea (a rather dumb 1 on reflection) of attaching the TAG to an yellow oxford disc lock spiral thing attached to a spare windscreen bracket, so I could keep the TAG in the tank bag side pocket & pull it out with gloved hands wave the TAG around without dropping the thing is what caused me the initial frustration. Only once did I have to actually have to stop and hand it over at a manned booth, the TAG wasn't picked up when I entered & I`d took a ticket which meant some unplanned faffing about trying to get wet gloves off to dig out the TAG, which inevitably meant the glove liner inverted but that was an unplanned exit from the autoroute, due to a Garmin starburst moment on the 2nd day of my trip. But by the time I`d got down to the autoroute at Menton to run down to Nice I`d got the TAG operation down to a tee, slowing down to a crawl at the booths allowing the TAG to register and roll though without stopping

 

[mark2jag]

I have one and it makes a huge difference in the car.

I am assured by Sanef that, if used on a motorcycle, you will be charged at Class 5 as they not only detect the transponder but also detect the length of your vehicle.

Greg

What happens if you take a bike with a trailer through?????

 

[Wapping]

What happens if you take a bike with a trailer through?????

They levy an extra charge. Then add a bit more for stupidly and last of all, arrest you for crimes against motorcycling. This is punishable by banishment for life to Devils Island or two weeks in the 1200 section. Most people chose the former.

 

[Ross Dean]

... and who the hell wants to use the autoroutes more than just occasionally anyway?

Absolutely!