Road trip advice

Author
Discussion

8Tech

2,136 posts

197 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
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RizzoTheRat said:
In switzerland you need to buy a pass if you want to use the motorways, it's not like a French Payage where you pay on entry/exit, but to buy a pass for a period of time and display it on the windscreen.

DO NOT GET CAUGHT SPEEDING IN SWITZERLAND! The fines are eyewatering.
Correct, you buy a pass to allow you to use the motorways.

He is not joking about the speeding fines and the Police actively intimidate you into speeding. Entrapment I believe is the term.

I got caught by driving along ON the speed limit in the outside lane with both lanes doing the same speed. I got a pair of knobheads right up my arse for about 5 miles, about 12" off my rear bumper. After a while they started flashing me so to get rid of them I accelerated slowly and within 200 yards, fed into a gap in the inside lane.

They were Police who gave me a massive fine and tried to confiscate the car until I insisted that was not going to happen as I was the holder of a Blue Disabled Badge. So they told me to stay on the same road until I exited the country and gave me a 12 month on the spot ban, starting the minute I crossed the border.

MrMcG

Original Poster:

9 posts

116 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
8Tech said:
Correct, you buy a pass to allow you to use the motorways.

He is not joking about the speeding fines and the Police actively intimidate you into speeding. Entrapment I believe is the term.

I got caught by driving along ON the speed limit in the outside lane with both lanes doing the same speed. I got a pair of knobheads right up my arse for about 5 miles, about 12" off my rear bumper. After a while they started flashing me so to get rid of them I accelerated slowly and within 200 yards, fed into a gap in the inside lane.

They were Police who gave me a massive fine and tried to confiscate the car until I insisted that was not going to happen as I was the holder of a Blue Disabled Badge. So they told me to stay on the same road until I exited the country and gave me a 12 month on the spot ban, starting the minute I crossed the border.
That is disgusting, makes a mockery of the whole police force out there, that type of driving is far more dangerous than doing 10mph over the speed limit. How can they justify that??

I might rig the camera in the car then facing out of the rear view mirror just incase anything like this happens, I wont speed up while the local police may do nothing about it some shaming on the web wont go amiss.

Sorry to hear that, they do sound like complete nobbers

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Check if onboard cameras are legal, they might not be as they have some odd laws. Satnavs with camera location warnings are illegal, filtering on motorbikes is illegal, and the post above is not the first entrapment story I've heard. a mate was refused entry in to the country because he didn't have exhaust baffles fitted, despite his exhaust being quieter than a mate he was with who did have baffles. Weird place.

On the plus side there are loads of lovely roads in Switzerland, the scenery is stunning, and the cheese fondue is fantastic. I have however heard the Swiss described as "like the Germans but without the sense of humour" biggrin

MrMcG

Original Poster:

9 posts

116 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Jesus!

By the sounds of it ill be spending the whole time looking at the speedo.

That is the rules though and since I will be going to their country I have to abide by them, I do think i may only do a couple of days in the swiss region and move on to more car friendly places the autobahn being one.

Learnt so much already

Thanks to everyone


mikey k

13,011 posts

215 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Two tips from me
1) Don't do more than 10% above on Mway (watch our for French limits dropping in the rain!)
2) Don't speed in town AT ALL
3) Don't overtake on solid white lines, locals have called plod and had people stopped for this

Other than that keep an eye out!

F1 NDW

1,116 posts

145 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Well all I can say is Ignorance was bliss and I thoroughly enjoyed Switzerland. I bought the Swiss motorway pass at a German service area about 10 miles before the border and was waived straight though. Mind you it was obvious that they were looking for cars without the pass. As usual, the less attention you draw to yourself (even in an Aston) the better!

Speculatore

2,002 posts

234 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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F1 NDW said:
Well all I can say is Ignorance was bliss and I thoroughly enjoyed Switzerland. I bought the Swiss motorway pass at a German service area about 10 miles before the border and was waived straight though. Mind you it was obvious that they were looking for cars without the pass. As usual, the less attention you draw to yourself (even in an Aston) the better!
Agree with F1 NDW. The only issue that we had (4 Astons) was that at the boarder crossing (Italy in to Switzerland) they made sure that the 'Vignette' was actually attached to the windscreen. I can assure you that we didn't alter our driving style going through Switzerland.

I have 2 tips..

1. Get a pre-paid Motorway electronic tag for the French Motorway which allows you to drive straight through the Tolls and your card is billed later
2. Carry alternative SATNAV. (Also remember that some of the tunnels are that long that you will lose Satellite coverage so if your turn off is shortly after the tunnel you may have gone past it before your SATNAV picks up a signal

mikey k

13,011 posts

215 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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Speculatore said:
Carry alternative SATNAV. (Also remember that some of the tunnels are that long that you will lose Satellite coverage so if your turn off is shortly after the tunnel you may have gone past it before your SATNAV picks up a signal
Good point also true in some of the deeper valleys/gorges especially if there is thick cloud cover (weirdly!)

BravoV8V

1,858 posts

173 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
mikey k said:
Speculatore said:
Carry alternative SATNAV. (Also remember that some of the tunnels are that long that you will lose Satellite coverage so if your turn off is shortly after the tunnel you may have gone past it before your SATNAV picks up a signal
Good point also true in some of the deeper valleys/gorges especially if there is thick cloud cover (weirdly!)
Can I be (slightly) controversial here? How about carrying a map (shock, horror!) as backup?

mikey k

13,011 posts

215 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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BravoV8V said:
Can I be (slightly) controversial here? How about carrying a map (shock, horror!) as backup?
No harm
I had two Tom Toms with the itn files on, the AM Garmin and a map hehe (plus Rob & Molly on the radio!)

8Tech

2,136 posts

197 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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What's a map?

avinalarf

6,438 posts

141 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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8Tech said:
What's a map?
I'm such a Luddite,had the car over 2 years,never had the sat nav out !
I look at the instructions ,glaze over,and forget about it.

MollyGTi

2,354 posts

153 months

Friday 25th July 2014
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avinalarf said:
I'm such a Luddite,had the car over 2 years,never had the sat nav out !
I look at the instructions ,glaze over,and forget about it.
Yeah, but only driving 'round old Londen town I expect you have 'the knowledge' and thats all you need tongue out

For those driving around the Great British countryside or even further afield sometimes its good to have a bit of technical help wink

Actually I quite like a map too smile

avinalarf

6,438 posts

141 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
MollyGTi said:
avinalarf said:
I'm such a Luddite,had the car over 2 years,never had the sat nav out !
I look at the instructions ,glaze over,and forget about it.
Yeah, but only driving 'round old Londen town I expect you have 'the knowledge' and thats all you need tongue out

For those driving around the Great British countryside or even further afield sometimes its good to have a bit of technical help wink

Actually I quite like a map too smile
Looking forward to meeting you,at Burghley,then you can please help me with my sat nav.

MollyGTi

2,354 posts

153 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
avinalarf said:
Looking forward to meeting you,at Burghley,then you can please help me with my sat nav.
Play your cards right Steven & I'll see what I can do wink

Speculatore

2,002 posts

234 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
BravoV8V said:
Can I be (slightly) controversial here? How about carrying a map (shock, horror!) as backup?
Err! Man driving leaving woman with Map....What could possibly go wrong...???

tonyhall38

4,194 posts

215 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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MollyGTi said:
avinalarf said:
Looking forward to meeting you,at Burghley,then you can please help me with my sat nav.
Play your cards right Steven & I'll see what I can do wink
I would have no trouble telling you how to get lost......