Club Arnage

Do any of you guys know what the score is for the opening of the A28 autoroute from Rouen to Alencon?

I'm going down to a sprint at a place called Le Pommeraye (the other side of Angers) on Friday, it'll also be a reccie of the route for next month. Towing would be a bit easier is the road was open.

Cheers

Simon

AFAIK it won't be open until later this year?

Cheers. Would have been nice if they would open it up as and when sections are completed.

I'll report back next week if any more of it has been opened.

Simon

Ours spies won't be out there till the test weekend, but last year chunks of it were nearly ready, so some of it must be open.

Going via Caen, it doesn't really matter to me, but I do miss the N138.

http://www.alis-sa.com/

(thanks Mal!)

If you speck French, this will tell you all you need to know.

Its due to fully open in December,

Great link Nordic, Perhaps I should point out that there is a Union Jack flag in the top right of the page, which says "Alis in English"  ;D :-* ;)

The translation is pretty good as well.

It doesn't say whats open now, or at least je ne trouve pas

Therefore, I assume (due to the available interchanges) that none of it is currently open.

For the Alencon  to Le Mans section, first we had the the Alencon bypass which was free for a couple of years, then the section from LM to Beaumont was opened, as I recall a traffic jam near Beaumont going home that year, and notices saying it would all be open by July, which was typically French.

Of course when it all opened, there were only two toll booths at Alencon, which just couldn't cope, so we have discovered a rat run through Alencon which is a real swine.

So the chances of it opening all in one are thin.

I may be able to find out as the first expeditionary force to collect the tickets has already failed.

Thanks, I did'nt spot that. Did try to work some out on babel fish.

If you are planning to head down there this weekend, expect more traffic as it's the French Moto GP at Le Mans.

Fingers crossed I'll be okay. I'm on a 9pm ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe, and will hit Le Mans at some nasty hour on Saturday morning! I expect the traffic will be a bit heavier on Monday on the way back though.

Simon

Our spies have been out.

Apparently the road is just about complete - all the bridges and flyovers in place, barriers, topcoat tarmac etc, but no white lines or Toll booths, so expect it to be open at Christmas

Remember there is now a radar trap about 3 KM before the tunnel at Rouen on the Calais side

Is it true that French Gatzos are like large grey wardrobes

It looks like it... http://www.radars-auto.com/photos.php?id=128 (http://www.radars-auto.com/photos.php?id=128)

Pass its on the Michelin map web page they provide the locations of the camera if you plan a route they tell you where all the traps are…

And...... a number of junctions now have speed limits (50kph I think), so would be ideal for speed guns.

They'll have speed humps soon

On the Mulsanne probably!!!  ;)

that'd make them launch pads then.... ;)

Hmm, more flying Mercs????  :o

Sadly, this will be the 50th anniversary of the first flying Merc.

Just a thought, but if the recipricle laws have not yet been fully sanctioned, what is the status on a UK driver being caught on a French Gatso?

Is it simply ignored, or do they chase it or have a list ready at customs for when you next visit?

I think you'll be ignored by the French Gatso system, since it's computerised, and I think currently only chases up French registered plates. However, the Gatsos are pretty harmless, and are always preceded by a warning board giving you plenty of time to slow down.
What you need to worry about are the concealed laser-linked binocular systems. These are traps which spot you long before you spot them, linked to reception committees up the road, or pursuit bikes. There were plenty of them on the N138 for the 24 hr bike weekend. Consequently the bikers were all rolling along like pussycats!
Attitudes to speeding in France have changed a lot in the last few years, aided by the fact that fatalities on the roads are declining ...........

More compatibilty problems.

Will an English speed trap detector, inc laser, pick up a French Laser speed gun?

Truck, I would warn you that any speed trap detector, or anything that looks like one (such as a GPS unit) is illegal in France and severly frowned upon by the boys in bleu.

If they catch you with one, they will fine your ass and encourage you to destroy the detector.

Yes it will. But the French will also detect your detector, which is illegal (even possession of one) in France.
They get VERY nasty, will fine you, confiscate the detector,(even make you drive over your detector to destroy it yourself), and fine you.
Max punishment is confiscation of the car (yes, really!!), banning you from driving in France (they have instant access to the national computer), confiscating your license and (eventually) returning it to Swansea. Oh yes, and a huge fine - think it's 1500 euros - payable in cash only.
Your choice.

Thank god I'm towing a caravan.  Perhaps I could install a rear gunner

Agreed, Steve, with the exception of the GPS unit. We have them over here in France too. In fact I work at a postgraduate college where they, and other embedded systems are designed.
Just don't bring anti-radar toys to France !!

How can they detect them?

Just a note to everybody, believe KPY, i live here in France, and the police have become ruthless, with on the spot fines for every infraction possible, the fines are out of this world, plus i believe that the fine can be sent to your UK address by courtesy of big brother.

My brother in law (Retired British Bobby) has moved to France last Sept, and he says French police appear to have some sort of national copmpetition to see who can set up the best disguised, best hidden or just plain devious speed trap.  

He recently spotted a couple of policemen with laser-binoculars catching drivers on a clear downhill stretch of main road, you know the sort of gentle hill where you don't mean to go fast particularly, but find yourself going 10 mph faster than you thought you were doing....  

The police weren't even on the main road, but behind a hedge in a country lane that ran parallel to it for a little while!  They just radioed the speeders' details to another team up the main road who had cars queuing up to pay their fines.

He does confirm that French drivers will invariably warn you when you're approaching a speed trap, but don't bank on them spotting every one.  He warned me to just play safe and observe the speed limits.  Boring, but it's good beer money you're wasting.

DD

LOL - has anyone else ever got caught out by those "roadworkers" - look a bit like members of The Village People waving a flag!! i think they are designed to slow you down when approaching roadworks... was effective for me .........i was virtually stopped before i realised he was a fake!  and all the more sneaky cos there are various different "men"... they dont all look the same.   :-\

F

No idea, but they can. Perhaps you could carry out a trial for us - get one, leave it switched on, get caught, then ask them how they did it.
Just a joke. but the fact that French can pick up your anti-radar is not a joke.

Very realistic  fooled me the first time too.
Canada Phil