To the experienced continental riders out there, what's it cost typically if using the toll roads - I guess it varies on the distance travelled etc - just want to plan what small change/notes need to be easy to get at. -- jeremy '02 Fazer 600 in blue _______________________________________ jeremy at hireserve dot com
Well I guess I was looking for tips & tricks - such as "always keep 5 euro coin taped to the tacho" or somesuch. -- jeremy '02 Fazer 600 in blue _______________________________________ jeremy at hireserve dot com
some. From memory, about 10 euros for every hundred miles. Paris to Nice is about 50 euros, and about 575 miles, if that gives you a clue. Also be aware some autoroutes à péage give you a ticket and you pay when you leave the autoroute; some you pay on the way on (though the only one of this latter type that I can think of is heading West from the Alps Maritime towards Nice).
Eddie emerged from their own little world to say but do as Des says - use a card in a manned booth. If you use the "card only" lanes then you will get charged the car rate
No, no, you've got it all wrong. Cut in front of some Frog in the longest queue at the booths. Gloves off, rummage through pockets, turn off engine, get off bike, unzip leathers, find crumpled tenner in most inaccessible pocket, drop it, pick it up, hand it to Toll Booth Bloke or Bird, shrug apologetically when they say they don't accept sterling, repeat performance with other pocket, hand over crumpled 50 queo note, drop change all over ground, pick it up, zip up all clothing, replace gloves, realise ou've stuffed key into inner pocket, partially disrobe to find it, zip up again, turn on engine, and at the crucial moment, just as the fanfare of horns behind you is sounding like a good French wedding.... ....stall engine.
Ah, yes - absolutely. I might be misremembering something, but do some of the toll areas have a special bike lane that you can use without having to pay?
prawn wrote Exactly and also the longer you take faffing around for a few measly pennies the less economic it becomes for the toll collectors to collect tolls from bikers and eventually they will be forced to let us through free or go bust.
Jeremy emerged from their own little world to say According to http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm 4.6 Euro If you take the quickest route then only about half of the journey is on autoroute. The autoroute between Charlie Mez and Sedan is toll free. I've used this route a number of times to get to Strasbourg. The N roads south of Cambrai give plenty of opportunity to GLF. They undulate without having too many corners. Cambrai is a convenient distance for a comfort break. It has a nice square with several cafes. Just head for Centre Ville If anyone is out & about on Sunday and needs fuel then there is a petrol station that opens in the centre of Charlie Mez. Head for Gare SNCF. Alternatively, hop across the border into Walloon Region, Belgium. Have a good trip.
On Mon, 25 Apr 2005 14:25:22 +0100, heh. Beat me to it. The other trick is to have your pillion passenger primed, with gloves off and change ready, as you screech up to the both. Once transaction is done, (s)he taps you on shoulder and you're away on the back wheel.
Am I the only one who *really* enjoys winding it up after the tollbooths to try and get to the re-start of the motorway? Like a gigantic drag race with a dozen lanes, if it all goes right.
No, you're not the only one. Still, toll booths are usually a good time to let people catch up, wait for others in your group to come out of the booths etc etc. Of course, this is you we're talking about - and you quite enjoy leading a French run, and seeing how many people you can lose on the way to the hotel ;-)) [1] [1] As you well know, I don't actually expect you to lead the cattle - and quite rightly so. Kiran
Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote It doesn't need rain to be able to that at the Dartford Bridge exit. I can spin the back wheel in any gear at any revs on any bike in the dry there, no probs. Kin frightening in the wet it is. Especially if, like me, your intention is to be the winner of the race. Why don't they wash roads that get like that?
Andy Bonwick emerged from their own little world to say There are free bike lanes on the toll bridges over the Seine south of Le Havre. They may have just been for cyclists but I used the fuckers
I thought for a moment that maybe it was for pushbikes, then I realised that you probably don't get many of those on an autoroute - likewise for pedestrians, I imagine.
