Average speed between toll booths

[lowdrag]

This urban myth seems entrenched in the english psyche these days, so please accept that this old story is just that - a myth. For starters, the ticket doesn't show the time, and anyway many of the exit toll booths are now card only with no one present. To go further I have the automatic toll booth electronic gizmo in the windscreen which debits my card each month so I never stop to get a ticket anyway. You'll see lanes reserved for us with a big orange t over them and a height retriction barrier, always on the left of the toll booths.

The history of this myth lies in the fact that at the end of some stretches of motorway in France there is a toll booth and a cop shop and people think they have been timed from entry to exit of the motorway. Well, they have been timed, but by a radar trap very carefully positioned behind a bridge support or on a bridge about a mile or so short of the toll booths and they radio your registration number ahead to the waiting plod.

Don't think though that this gives you carte blanche to roar down the motorway because yesterday I had a pint or two with several boys in blue and they were telling me just how many extra police are being drafted in from all over France for the 24 hour race this year, including a few radar teams who will be strategically postioned on the N138 and the A28 north of Le Mans. If it was me wanting to have fun I'd spend some time map reading and take the back road stopping for a beer in the small villages. Even the D roads will have radar traps on so look for country roads to have fun on.

Oh, and a useful tip. If you want to speed in France wait until July/August when everyone is on holiday and so they send a load of reinforcements to the sea side leaving the centre of France undermanned by boys in blue. Much less risk of radar traps then.

[A10ARF]

Yes, that 'Urban myth' still does the forum rounds every summer !

I plan to go back to using the old N138 route for Le Mans this year. The 'newer' A28 Motorway extension can be quicker ( being careful to avoid speeding fines) but I found it a dull drive compared to the old route, with not enough fill-up stops either.

[niffty951]

I would just like to say that we have now proved this. Our convoy last year most probably averaged 150mph (because we slowed down when passing two trucks or more) clearly I wasn't driving but no fines, no problems.

Not quite the same however as the first section on motorway coming back on monday where there were MANY speed traps!! All hidden quite well. Travelling behind two Vantages Lets just say we were quite lucky!

[F308 MAN]

There is a fixed, concealed speed camera at the opposite end of the viaduct, just before the Boulogne toll booths ... and a Gendarmerie.
On the way down this is quite inneffective as most are slowing for the tolls.
On the way back up it is most effective, as drivers tend to "floor it" from the tolls.
d

[e36guy]

Good post Lowdrag.

Just to add something to it. Yes - the gendarmes hide behind bridges and use a radar thingmabob on a tripod that you can hardly see until you are on it. Then, about 1/2 mile up the road there will be a couple of bikes waiting to intecept the unlucky. If you are going too fast for the bikes then they will radio ahead and time your speed between the radar point and the next Peage where a gendarme will be ready to 'arret' you when stop for the toll. That's where the average speed between peages rumour stems from I think.

[sadlerj]

One Tip - look for the un-manned payage exits on the new payage from Rouen to Le Mans. As it is very rural there are quite a few, one gate exits. If you get snapped, then boot it to the the next un-manned exit and dissappear into the country side...Worked for us last year!

[iaint]

Following a slight sat nav failure in 2004 (i.e. it turned out my co-driver couldn't read maps!) we ended up doing small rural roads instead of the N138. On approach to Le Mans (some 20 miles out) we came accross a number of radar traps, mainly in villages and usually right outside the local pub/doughnutterie.

Thanks to the French drivers we were well warned of the Gendarm's worm like presence and weren't speeding. Still got pulled so they could nose around for any form of electronic EWS but no hassle other than that!