On the road in France

Some reminders that August is the peak month for traffic on France’s roads and autoroutes.

The authorities in France have a colour-coded system to signify traffic density, and for traffic heading away from the Paris region and towards the coast and mountains

ORANGE = dense traffic with local jams

RED = very dense traffic with many traffic jams (bouchons)

BLACK = the worst – extremely heavy traffic with many traffic jams on all routes.

FRIDAY 31 July 2009 is RED

SATURDAY 1 August 2009 is BLACK

SUNDAY 2 August is ORANGE, except for the South East (Rhone-Alpes region around Lyon) which is RED

Returning traffic is RED most Saturdays in August.

However, helpfully most roadworks are suspended over the weekends between mid-July and the end of August – so the problems will be due to sheer volume of traffic.

A good map is always useful, but also consider using France’s network of Alternative Routes (itineraire bis) which cover large areas of France and will take you on decent N roads and avoid the worst bottlenecks.

And also beware that some autoroute toll charges (péage) are higher in peak periods than at other times – e.g. on August Sunday afternoons heading towards Paris!

For more info on traffic conditions in France see www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr

New Speed Limits for Caravans and trailers in France:-
The new speed limits for a car and caravan or trailer with combined gross weight over 3.5 tonnes and are 90kph on motorways and dual carriageways, 80kph on ordinary roads and the standard 50kph in towns.