RE: Les Flics et Les PHeurs
Discussion
Gibo993 said:
Watch out for the Belgian drivers they will always without fail pull out in front of you, with no regard to your approaching speed. But all in all the drivers in France are soo much better disciplined than the UK and it's always a joy to do big distances in France just don't go stupid!
I can't believe you said that about the Belgian drivers pulling out at the last minute (constantly, not just every now and then) it is UNBELIEVABLE isn't it!!!!Sometimes you just know they are going to do it (like when they are approaching the back of a truck and their gap is getting stupidly small) but most of the time it's totally random and IF the indicator does get used it gets used at the same time as the usually pretty quick change of lane!
swerni said:
So what are you going to do with that extra half hour / hour?
Do you feel every minute of every day that completely?
Last year I took the long route to Monte Carlo down the route Napoleon, may have taken me longer, but was an epic drive
Ps my speedo is pretty much bang on
Hi Swerni, i remember chatting with you last year about your Alpine jouney when you were planning it!Do you feel every minute of every day that completely?
Last year I took the long route to Monte Carlo down the route Napoleon, may have taken me longer, but was an epic drive
Ps my speedo is pretty much bang on
Sometimes I do wonder what the rush is all about BUT sitting at 130 km/h does drag on a bit when doing a long stretch in a day (London to Val D'Isere which I've done 3 times so far this year or London to Nice) and God forbid your speed should gently rise after a couple of hundred miles because coming back down to 130km/h feels like a real crawl!
I just don't want to stay the night on my way to where I REALLY want to be and I'm still able to do the distances without any trouble.
swerni said:
don logan said:
swerni said:
So what are you going to do with that extra half hour / hour?
Do you feel every minute of every day that completely?
Last year I took the long route to Monte Carlo down the route Napoleon, may have taken me longer, but was an epic drive
Ps my speedo is pretty much bang on
Hi Swerni, i remember chatting with you last year about your Alpine jouney when you were planning it!Do you feel every minute of every day that completely?
Last year I took the long route to Monte Carlo down the route Napoleon, may have taken me longer, but was an epic drive
Ps my speedo is pretty much bang on
Sometimes I do wonder what the rush is all about BUT sitting at 130 km/h does drag on a bit when doing a long stretch in a day (London to Val D'Isere which I've done 3 times so far this year or London to Nice) and God forbid your speed should gently rise after a couple of hundred miles because coming back down to 130km/h feels like a real crawl!
I just don't want to stay the night on my way to where I REALLY want to be and I'm still able to do the distances without any trouble.
@t1grm If I had to worry about making up 30 minutes to get to dinner one time, it would make the whole journey too stressful, would rather just eat later or leave earlier.
I'm heading south West of Le Mans in a couple of weeks in the Vette. I'm leaving a whole day early, I'm not going to go near an Autoroute and am going to have a great time.
The only fun bit on the autoroute is leaving the tolls on full-bore, which is compulsory regardless of what you drive
You mentioning 'Vettes and kids reminds me, my Dad had a 68 'Vette and used to put my brother and sister in the back (they were probably about 8yrs old-ish, this was of course before people started using their brains!
Apparently they had to lay on their fronts facing forward! :-)
As for leaving tolls at full whack, I'm just too paranoid to do it, especially when you have those mirrored buildings next to the exit side!
I got caught doing c.180kph on deserted, super smooth french autoroute, luckily I had slowed down because my wife was moaning about the noise. I got two very calm, polite policeman and a 90€ fine. I had expected to lose the car!
These days I lock the cruise control at 90mph and never had any issues on my European road trips.
These days I lock the cruise control at 90mph and never had any issues on my European road trips.
Funny how Governments work against each other. Tourism says "Please come" and the police - instead of being occasionally tolerant of people who may have made a small mistake born of unfamiliarity, roll up their sleeves and do all they can to put people off
Of course if people are going to drive like a**ses they deserve to be dealt with, but it does make one wonder if it's worth it to go to Le Mans in any kind of performance car. The coverage on Eurosport is usually excellent, it doesn't rain in my lounge and there is no queue for the excellent toilets
Yeah, Yeah I know I'm missing the point here, but the thought of being persecuted by Clouseau may just be the tipping point....
Of course if people are going to drive like a**ses they deserve to be dealt with, but it does make one wonder if it's worth it to go to Le Mans in any kind of performance car. The coverage on Eurosport is usually excellent, it doesn't rain in my lounge and there is no queue for the excellent toilets
Yeah, Yeah I know I'm missing the point here, but the thought of being persecuted by Clouseau may just be the tipping point....
The Nurburgring has greater appeal to me these days. The freedom of unrestricted autobahns to drive as fast as you like, cheap food / accommodation and people that want us to be there sharing their passion for fast cars at the circuit. Everything that Le Mans now isn't!!!!
RIP Le Mans! Police have put the final nail in the coffin!
RIP Le Mans! Police have put the final nail in the coffin!
I cannot see it having been written previously, but my experience in March in eastern France was that:
1. I was given a 5% discount (to cover any inaccuracies in their equipment). I was stopped for 123 kmh (in a 90kmh zone) - handwritten ticket showed this figure and the speed I was fined for - 116 kmh (i.e. 5% rounded in my favour to nearest kmh below).
2. I did not have enough cash, card was not accepted. I was sent to the ATM for cash - but as "security" they held all my documents - insurance, passport, MOT, purchase invoice (new car to me, so no V5). Given the volume of traffic/"business" going to Le Mans, they may use the same (entirely logical) tactic instead of accompanying you to a bank.
Learn from my experience at the ATM - if you are fined for €90, make sure that you have the correct cash - I didnt (only held multiples of €50 - drew €100 from the ATM). Gendarmes did not give change & I had reservations about offering them a tip or telling them to keep the change (in the circumstances, they were polite, friendly and professional - but I did not want the extra €10 to be construed as a bribe etc). Was sent back to the ATM (10 mile round trip) to get the correct change - this was a royal PITA & added a further 30 minutes plus (find ATM, park, queue for cash, return to speed trap etc) to the process.
1. I was given a 5% discount (to cover any inaccuracies in their equipment). I was stopped for 123 kmh (in a 90kmh zone) - handwritten ticket showed this figure and the speed I was fined for - 116 kmh (i.e. 5% rounded in my favour to nearest kmh below).
2. I did not have enough cash, card was not accepted. I was sent to the ATM for cash - but as "security" they held all my documents - insurance, passport, MOT, purchase invoice (new car to me, so no V5). Given the volume of traffic/"business" going to Le Mans, they may use the same (entirely logical) tactic instead of accompanying you to a bank.
Learn from my experience at the ATM - if you are fined for €90, make sure that you have the correct cash - I didnt (only held multiples of €50 - drew €100 from the ATM). Gendarmes did not give change & I had reservations about offering them a tip or telling them to keep the change (in the circumstances, they were polite, friendly and professional - but I did not want the extra €10 to be construed as a bribe etc). Was sent back to the ATM (10 mile round trip) to get the correct change - this was a royal PITA & added a further 30 minutes plus (find ATM, park, queue for cash, return to speed trap etc) to the process.
nickfrog said:
Why do people think it's OK to do things abroad that they wouldn't dream of doing in their own country. Kind of Brits abroad syndrome, apart from the sandals+socks.
Nick, are you saying that I cant wear the sandals with socks 
actually agree with you here
socks-sandals
so infra dig.
and the rest
just a quick addition on our experiences. Been every year since 1999 and to be honest the days of the fun convoy are over , we tned to go on our own now.
Firstly, even if you are doing everything right, don't be surprised if you get pulled over. One of the cars with us was sitting at 125Kph last year and was tailed by a bike for a couple of miles, Driver thinks nothing of it, next minute a renault megane comes hurtling up behind, Bike waves to megane and points at my mates before riding off, next minute Meganes blue lights come on and they pull him over. Mate gets out to be told he was seen doing 150kph by the bike who was following him and he had 150 euro fine. What do you do in that instance, argue, plead your innocence or just pay the lieing barstewards he chose the latter.
Also makesure you have your yellow jackets in the passenger compartment. They will fine you if you exist the car and retrieve it from the boot on an autoroute.
The other thing is makesure you have a copy of your licence at home etc as if they do take it ( which they do) you can then report it lost when home. They say they will send it back to the UK for you to be dealt with there, but they can;t do that and 9 times out of 10 your licence will be binned.
Also why not do what we do, just don;t use any of the main routes. get the ferry to Dunkirk and then take all the back roads from there, some lovely routes and we never see any police on these routes as nobody else uses them.
Firstly, even if you are doing everything right, don't be surprised if you get pulled over. One of the cars with us was sitting at 125Kph last year and was tailed by a bike for a couple of miles, Driver thinks nothing of it, next minute a renault megane comes hurtling up behind, Bike waves to megane and points at my mates before riding off, next minute Meganes blue lights come on and they pull him over. Mate gets out to be told he was seen doing 150kph by the bike who was following him and he had 150 euro fine. What do you do in that instance, argue, plead your innocence or just pay the lieing barstewards he chose the latter.
Also makesure you have your yellow jackets in the passenger compartment. They will fine you if you exist the car and retrieve it from the boot on an autoroute.
The other thing is makesure you have a copy of your licence at home etc as if they do take it ( which they do) you can then report it lost when home. They say they will send it back to the UK for you to be dealt with there, but they can;t do that and 9 times out of 10 your licence will be binned.
Also why not do what we do, just don;t use any of the main routes. get the ferry to Dunkirk and then take all the back roads from there, some lovely routes and we never see any police on these routes as nobody else uses them.
MartiniBianco said:
You don't go to jail for doing 161 kph. And that's not a délit either.
I don't know where you found your Loic Guerin but I bet he's no code de la route specialist.
I was caught doing 184kph in 2010 and got a 90 euro fine! Not sure that would be the case now. I was very sheepish and polite. The cops where pretty cool. I don't know where you found your Loic Guerin but I bet he's no code de la route specialist.
nickfrog said:
Why do people think it's OK to do things abroad that they wouldn't dream of doing in their own country. Kind of Brits abroad syndrome, apart from the sandals+socks.
I dream of legally doing >50% of my cars top speed on a quiet motorway every time I get on the A1 outside of rush hour!
Something a "friend" did a few years ago....
DO NOT DO THIS!!!!
Hire BMW M6 for 4 days, pick up 3 points and £60 fine before even reaching the Ferry.
Curb nearside rear alloy on exit or port french-side.
Allow friend to fill up at next stop, scratching paint with filler nozzle.
Chip windscreen badly when doing last second overtake of truck carrying gravel.
Get pulled by Les Fuzz, get issued with €135 fine.
Get pulled by Les Fuzz, get 2nd fine and a proper telling off due to some sideways shenanigans.
And finally.......... car gets stolen about 80km from LeMans in Mortree.
DO NOT DO THIS!!!!
Hire BMW M6 for 4 days, pick up 3 points and £60 fine before even reaching the Ferry.
Curb nearside rear alloy on exit or port french-side.
Allow friend to fill up at next stop, scratching paint with filler nozzle.
Chip windscreen badly when doing last second overtake of truck carrying gravel.
Get pulled by Les Fuzz, get issued with €135 fine.
Get pulled by Les Fuzz, get 2nd fine and a proper telling off due to some sideways shenanigans.
And finally.......... car gets stolen about 80km from LeMans in Mortree.
It's probably fair to say that,like the Swiss and the British,the French authorities have taken the speed issue to hysterical extremes at least in the case of autoroutes subject to the ridiculous 130 kmh limit.Possibly with the added agenda of getting some extra cash for the state in fines and possibly even confiscated cars being sold.While the TGV services might also have something to do with putting pressure on the French government to neuter the autoroutes considering that,as Clarkson has proved enough times,it's only the idea of the unrealistic French motorway speed limits and their over the top levels of enforcement that makes using the train even remotely competitive with using a fast car if travelling across France.
It's also a bit unfair to raise the issue of Brits expecting to act differently in that regard when they're abroad as opposed to when they're at home when in most cases there's no comparison between the design and traffic levels of French autoroutes compared to British motorways these days.
So from my point of view the annual Le Mans run,which I've been doing since the 1980's,has probably now turned into an unviable nightmare from the point of view of enjoying a good run in light traffic conditions on good roads.
In addition to which is the fact that,in addition to neutering the French motorways,they've also neutered the actual event firstly by putting the chicanes on the Mulsanne years ago and then continuously ruling out decent cars in everything from the old Group C to recently GT cars such as the V12 Astons and big engined Corvettes.To the point now where it's possible to see far more impressive GT cars on the road than on the Le Mans circuit during the 24 hours race that's in addition to the now neutered LMP classes.Even those being more about slower speeds and the ECO agenda than the outright speed of the V12 Jaguars and Suber Mercedes of the Group C era.So yes I agree it's a case of RIP Le Mans from my point of view.
So for me,as has rightly been said previously,Germany is probably now the last place left for real driving enjoyment with Italy a close second both having not seemed to take the totally hysterical French and British approach to speed enforcement,at least yet.Which just leaves the problem that there's still no chance of seeing V12 Astons and 7 Litre Corvettes racing with V12 Ferraris etc in GT racing at somewhere like Monza.Especially considering that it's obviously now going to be a longer,and less impressive,run going through Germany and Austria than it was going through France and Switzerland.
It's also a bit unfair to raise the issue of Brits expecting to act differently in that regard when they're abroad as opposed to when they're at home when in most cases there's no comparison between the design and traffic levels of French autoroutes compared to British motorways these days.
So from my point of view the annual Le Mans run,which I've been doing since the 1980's,has probably now turned into an unviable nightmare from the point of view of enjoying a good run in light traffic conditions on good roads.
In addition to which is the fact that,in addition to neutering the French motorways,they've also neutered the actual event firstly by putting the chicanes on the Mulsanne years ago and then continuously ruling out decent cars in everything from the old Group C to recently GT cars such as the V12 Astons and big engined Corvettes.To the point now where it's possible to see far more impressive GT cars on the road than on the Le Mans circuit during the 24 hours race that's in addition to the now neutered LMP classes.Even those being more about slower speeds and the ECO agenda than the outright speed of the V12 Jaguars and Suber Mercedes of the Group C era.So yes I agree it's a case of RIP Le Mans from my point of view.
So for me,as has rightly been said previously,Germany is probably now the last place left for real driving enjoyment with Italy a close second both having not seemed to take the totally hysterical French and British approach to speed enforcement,at least yet.Which just leaves the problem that there's still no chance of seeing V12 Astons and 7 Litre Corvettes racing with V12 Ferraris etc in GT racing at somewhere like Monza.Especially considering that it's obviously now going to be a longer,and less impressive,run going through Germany and Austria than it was going through France and Switzerland.
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