French speeding fine - guilty as charged?

[Kirk280]

Dearest TZers

Some of you may have seen my Bear Pit rant about an 'enjoyable' day at Disneyland Paris being compounded by being flashed by a speed camera on the way back. Well the fine landed back in Blighty yesterday....90 euro as I was doing 82kph (speed used 77kph) in a 50kph zone. Ouch.

What has irritated me is that I was consciously sticking to the speed limits (or so I thought!). So, I present you with the evidence and invite you to be judge and jury - should I cough up the Euros, or try to appeal?

The road was the N31 and I was driving into "Ons en Bray" doing ca. 80kph - here's the outskirts of town:



oh here's the cheeky speed camera



200m before the 50kph sign....sigh....



I guess the question is: does the red boxed town name mean one is entering an urban area, and thus the limit is 50kph? Or is this a naughty trap by our snail eating cousins?

[deerworrier]

the blurred out word under the 50kph sign, is it rappel? in which case its a reminder and the limit applied already.
the red edged town name is the indication of the speed zone, as you suspected.

[Kirk280]

Rappel, yes.

Edit: sigh. At least the exchange rate is good. Oh....

[unclealec]

The town sign is the definitive point where the speed limit starts, Kirk.

[Alan C]

As stated above, the town sign is the point at which the 50km/h limit comes into effect.

I also received a nice letter from the Normandy authorities last week for speeding on the toll road.

I just paid it to avoid any hassle.




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[seadog1408]

I really dislike French town speed limits, some of the ones I head through are down to 30 km and it's a one horse town with nobody to be seen!!!

just pay it though.

[thieuster]

I picked one up near Nancy. The letter urging me to pay was already on the doormat before I arrived back home. What surprised me: it was written in flawless Dutch and it was very easy to pay. A 'webshop-ish' way of paying with my c/card.

90 euros? Be happy you don't get one here: doing 77km in a 50km zone is 224 euros here in Holland... (215 + 9 euros 'administration fee'!)

Menno

[Huertecilla]

Yes, town sign plus rappel; double warning son definitely no trap and the fine is cheap.

[Saint-Just]

I also confirm that the town panel is the start of the 50 km/h zone, unless there is a supplementary indication (30 or 70).
No entrapment in this case. The camera was probably installed as too many cars were speeding on this perfectly straight portion of road.

[higham5]

Pay up Kirk, unless next time you visit France, you want lots of hassle and be interviewed in a Gauloise smoke filled room. Probably plus a sizeable fine.

Steve

[hilly10]

I wonder if we will still give the frog, UK drivers info when we are out of the EU, I bleeding well hope not

[Raffe]

I wonder if we will still give the frog, UK drivers info when we are out of the EU, I bleeding well hope not

That would be nice, one could disregard foreign traffic rules as much as one wanted with no regards for the consequences. Could even organise European racing tours, which English-speaking guides on the look-out for police.

But how would you keep them pesky Europeans from doing the same in the UK?

[RJM25R]

That would be nice, one could disregard foreign traffic rules as much as one wanted with no regards for the consequences. Could even organise European racing tours, which English-speaking guides on the look-out for police.

But how would you keep them pesky Europeans from doing the same in the UK?

All the high-profile traffic cops on the roads in the UK would put a stop to those shenanigans!



No, wait........

[Kirk280]

Sign me up for the European racing tour Raffe! I’ll dust off my driving gloves and my driving hip flask.

Thanks for the advice all....I’m glad I was trying to ‘stick to the speed limit’ and not push on! It’s slightly annoying that it was 01:30 and I’d not seen another car driving for over an hour....but c’est la vie!

[Huertecilla]

I wonder if we will still give the frog, UK drivers info when we are out of the EU, I bleeding well hope not

That would be fun for the UK; not receiving info about anyone going into Britain either; would make security even more difficult.

You dó know that all of the EU27 actually know who is inside whereas the UK has no such system?

Mán; it is just a fine for speeding; no trap and a very reasonable amount. What is your problem?? Being Brit!!

[number2]

I wonder if we will still give the frog, UK drivers info when we are out of the EU, I bleeding well hope not

Countries in the EU implementing their own rules for speeding - quelle surprise!

[Saint-Just]

I wonder if we will still give the frog, UK drivers info when we are out of the EU, I bleeding well hope not

It would be so much fun, seeing Calais and Coquelles with a giant parking where all speeders would be parked until they’ve paid up before being allowed back to Blighty. It probably would only take a few days to have systems set up across the EU to get all offending number plates flagged to all UK-bound ports minutes after they have been flashed.
They could even use the opportunity for further control, breath analysers, security equipment, the lot.
Could be a money spinner, too

[thieuster]

Ask the lorry drivers from countries outside the EU: they have to pay instantly! That's going to happen when the UK cuts off its connection with their Continental colleagues about speeding tickets.

Other than that: I think that the French are pretty relaxed when it comes to speed cameras and tickets. The Autoroutes/Peages are fantastic: 130 km hr is indeed 130 km/hr. When you're too fast, your license plate number appears on a matrix sign, urging you to cool down a little (Autoroute du Soleil heading down south). There's no speed limit for cars towing a trailer (80km in Germany, 90km in the Netherlands, 100km in the UK). That makes hauling a RIB / boats / caravan down south a lot easier than trotting along between lorries!

What you see in France: the white and red sign with the city name is repeated in Germany: only a yellow/orange-ish nameplate is enough to lift the throttle and drop the speed to 50kms/hr. There's no round road sign with the allowed speed! And German police isn't easy on those who're speeding! You need to lift before you reach the sign/as soon as you can see it. A well-known trick: a speed camera only 25 mtrs after the town's name sign!

[Raffe]

It would be so much fun, seeing Calais and Coquelles with a giant parking where all speeders would be parked until they’ve paid up before being allowed back to Blighty. It probably would only take a few days to have systems set up across the EU to get all offending number plates flagged to all UK-bound ports minutes after they have been flashed.
They could even use the opportunity for further control, breath analysers, security equipment, the lot.
Could be a money spinner, too

I am in, would set up a fish and chips there.

[hilly10]

It would be so much fun, seeing Calais and Coquelles with a giant parking where all speeders would be parked until they’ve paid up before being allowed back to Blighty. It probably would only take a few days to have systems set up across the EU to get all offending number plates flagged to all UK-bound ports minutes after they have been flashed.
They could even use the opportunity for further control, breath analysers, security equipment, the lot.
Could be a money spinner, too

Not to much fun for them when we all stop driving over there

[Xantiagib]

I wonder if we will still give the frog, UK drivers info when we are out of the EU, I bleeding well hope not

..and even if the uk refuse foreign-land exchange of fines that means the opposite has to be true (they don't get the fines incurred in blighty,) plus believe me, lack of fines being paid will lead to more (and higher) on the spot fines to recoup funds....

[blackal]

On the spot fines rely on gendarmes on the street. Not as efficient as a camera hidden in a private car.

I think they want bigger returns than a gendarme can generate.

[MikeB687]

Don't do it in Switzerland!

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[higham5]

Don't do it in Switzerland!

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Unless you want this to happen €4000 on the spot fine plus trailer bike from the point of conviction to the border, as above the Swiss are serious about speeding.

https://youtu.be/qL3v-VvmRhs

[Jeremy67]

I guess the question is: does the red boxed town name mean one is entering an urban area, and thus the limit is 50kph? Or is this a naughty trap by our snail eating cousins?

Yes this has been the case forever, certainly since I first drove in France in 1986.

[Maysie]

I blame Brexit....

[VDG]

I blame Brexit....

I’d blame Brexit uncertainty.

[steptoe]

Imagine, someone on TZUK complaining about a foreign driver in the UK exceeding the speed limit by 20mph while driving through their village.

What would the forum say ? Death by fire, hung drawn and quartered, the stocks, banned from entering the UK until a fine is paid..

Perspective, it's a wonderful thing.

[Macca]

I’d just pay it if I were you


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[ChromeJob]

Your "speed camera" pic is a Google Streets or similar camera car's shadow.

[Maysie]

Your "speed camera" pic is a Google Streets or similar camera car's shadow.

BTW, 90 in a 50 zone, in some places you could lose your license.

I assume the OP means the grey box against the hedge, not the shadow on the road.

[ChromeJob]

I assume the OP means the grey box against the hedge, not the shadow on the road.

Derp. Never seen one that looked like that. :-/

[blackal]

I believe the French citizens are burning the cameras a lot more now, but more worrying - is that I believe the French authorities are already handing over fine collection to UK private companies, who pursue the debt with escalating charges. Also seems to be the case that you may not even get an initial fine through from the French Authorities - it is straight over to the debt collectors.

So - no matter about being in/out EU - the French have stumbled on a cash-cow with brits.

Maybe it will reduce the tourists to France?

[redmonaco]

I believe the French citizens are burning the cameras a lot more now, but more worrying - is that I believe the French authorities are already handing over fine collection to UK private companies, who pursue the debt with escalating charges. Also seems to be the case that you may not even get an initial fine through from the French Authorities - it is straight over to the debt collectors.

So - no matter about being in/out EU - the French have stumbled on a cash-cow with brits.

Maybe it will reduce the tourists to France?

I'll bet we haven't got a reciprocal agreement...

[Kirk280]

Your "speed camera" pic is a Google Streets or similar camera car's shadow.

BTW, 90 in a 50 zone, in some places you could lose your license.

I’m surprised the camera car’s shadow flashed me at 01:30 in the morning.

I was clocked at 77kph.

Thanks for your contribution!