Euro Trip May/June 19' France/Italy/Switzerland/France

[AJB88]

I got stuck in a queue for well over an hour as well near a tunnel.

[leyorkie]

Re tunnels, it’s the same in France with a set distance limit which is indicated by coloured lights on the sides of the tunnel, but nobody takes any notice. There are signs at the entrance

[boxedin]

Some years ago, I recall riding through the Mont Blanc Tunnel with an Italian female driving a small city type car glued to my rear tyre for a while. It wasn't long before a french bike cop appeared behind her, lit her up and pulled over for a chat once out of the tunnel.

I've never heard of a 100m gap rule before.

[ginettajoe]

martisracing said:

If I was you I would avoid Switzerland at all costs. As others have said they have zero tolerance on all motoring offences even some you may be not aware off. They are also the rudest people you can possibly meet. We recently drove through as a result of most of the usual passes we use being shut in April. We used the Gotthard tunnel and there was over a hour and a half que. we arrived nearly at the tunnel and needed a comfort break so turned off into a village and went to a bar for a coffee and comfort break. We went to rejoin the motorway and the police would not let us get back on. They said we had to go back down the motorway for 10 km and rejoin the que again. We explained we had been for a coffee in their awful village but to no avail so we had to spend another hour and a half in the que again. This sums the Swiss up as really nasty horrible people. We spoke to a French couple when we finally arrived at our hotel and the French have a simular view of the Swiss. His daughter was fined 1200 euros for following him less than 100 metres through a road tunnel. How many tourists are aware of this rule? Not only do the police cars have the usual speed cameras they also have devices for checking distances. I know many Pistonhead people avoid the country at all costs and I have to agree it is a place I will always avoid in future.

I agree wholeheartedly, obnoxious people, with a Gestapo attitude! I have no desire to encroach upon their space, ever again!!

[squareflops]

interesting guys, good info/feedback.

We've done 900 miles since Santander without incident however Marseilles was a complete and utter nightmare. They have tunnels in the city which cut off GPS the roads then fork off in 19 different directions at the exit before the sat nav can catch up which leaves you totally lost. It's hellishly busy and tolls abound. The city itself seems to be run by mobs of youths on scooters and every single car is scraped/dented from bumper to bumper.

Think alternate 1985, bars on windows and all. Marseilles is st.

In bed at the moment in Nice, amazing place and wish we weren't leaving so soon tomorrow. We've had a stunning day today sunbathing on the (topless ahem) beaches 30 seconds from the hotel, walking around the marina with many many million £+ yachts and seeing the views of the city and sea from the parc de la colline du château.

La Spezia tomorrow and onto Florence on Saturday. Will stay out of Swiss.

Will update with pics when I can.

[chandrew]

ginettajoe said:

martisracing said:

If I was you I would avoid Switzerland at all costs. As others have said they have zero tolerance on all motoring offences even some you may be not aware off. They are also the rudest people you can possibly meet. We recently drove through as a result of most of the usual passes we use being shut in April. We used the Gotthard tunnel and there was over a hour and a half que. we arrived nearly at the tunnel and needed a comfort break so turned off into a village and went to a bar for a coffee and comfort break. We went to rejoin the motorway and the police would not let us get back on. They said we had to go back down the motorway for 10 km and rejoin the que again. We explained we had been for a coffee in their awful village but to no avail so we had to spend another hour and a half in the que again. This sums the Swiss up as really nasty horrible people. We spoke to a French couple when we finally arrived at our hotel and the French have a simular view of the Swiss. His daughter was fined 1200 euros for following him less than 100 metres through a road tunnel. How many tourists are aware of this rule? Not only do the police cars have the usual speed cameras they also have devices for checking distances. I know many Pistonhead people avoid the country at all costs and I have to agree it is a place I will always avoid in future.

I agree wholeheartedly, obnoxious people, with a Gestapo attitude! I have no desire to encroach upon their space, ever again!!

So let me get this straight. The police were the rudest people because they didn't let you drive down a road with a clear 'no entry' sign, asked you to go the right direction and didn't give you with the CHF100 that the regulations state? You tried to drive down a road that is reserved for emergency vehicles. Try putting what you tried in Google maps and you'll see it shows the direction that you were asked to go with a big red 'no entry' sign over the route you tried to go.

And you met someone who got a fine for tailgating and they're complaining? You are aware that is also an offence in the UK subject to fines / points on your licence and I suspect it is in France? You have really got to be close to the car in front to be caught for this. Doing it in front of a police car is a bit daft. To get €1200 you really have to be pushing it though for a Swiss person the fine could be much higher and could result in a prison sentence. Fines here tend to be quite small for most things and we don't have points on a licence. However if you really disregard the law they'll through the book at you.

Yes, we have far more advanced traffic cameras than most places, partly because a Zurich firm is one of the leading producers in the world & we buy local. The cameras can individually track uptown 20 cars across 4 lanes over a long period, monitoring distances to other vehicles, driving in cycle or bus roads, performing dangerous manoeuvres, not giving way to pedestrians etc. They can record video as well as take multiple images. Yes, like anywhere it can be a pain, especially as they're often hidden but on the flip side we have the safest motorways in Europe and driving on them is a relaxing activity, especially compared to the surrounding countries. As noted above, for the most part the fines are small.

[squareflops]

Well quick update for now as I'm contemplating what I'm doing with my life in work.

Trip was a success, all back in one piece with no issues at all with the car etc. it certainly was an experience. Driving in Marseille was horrific, Nice was stunning, Mont Blanc was amazing, the weather in Italy was lacklustre at best. France was great to finish off. Some challenging days both interpersonally and geographically (no one said the autostrada was 1000ft above the ground!) but we made it through without killing each other or driving off a sky bridge in Italy.

Pics to follow

[Kewy]

squareflops said:

Well quick update for now as I'm contemplating what I'm doing with my life in work.

Trip was a success, all back in one piece with no issues at all with the car etc. it certainly was an experience. Driving in Marseille was horrific, Nice was stunning, Mont Blanc was amazing, the weather in Italy was lacklustre at best. France was great to finish off. Some challenging days both interpersonally and geographically (no one said the autostrada was 1000ft above the ground!) but we made it through without killing each other or driving off a sky bridge in Italy.

Pics to follow

Look forward to seeing pics and hearing all about it!

My trip also went well a few weeks back. Will be starting a thread documenting it with lots of photos etc. at some point this week

[sasha320]

Wrong thread

Edited by sasha320 on Wednesday 10th July 20:23