French Tolls.

Do bikes pay a different toll to cars on the payage (sp)?

I know they used to but there seem to be so many purely automatic toll
payment stations that I can't see how it would work now?

 

On some they certainly do. I don't know if this is the case for all of
them.

Bikes don't pay unless the rider(s) happen to be too stupid to work it
out.

This was briefly discussed after the last French trip when 5 out of 6
riders present paid the rate for cars and one rider didn't bother.

 

Yes. Don't use the automatic tolls - choose a manned booth, or you'll
pay the car rate.

 

That's why I'm asking. I'd got it into my head that cars and bikes are
now the same [1] so standard procedure for us is to avoid the 'human'
booths where possible and either follow a car through nice and close or
put one card in and both ride out together.

However it's just stuck me that my assumption might be wrong &
therefore in the latter case we're paying the car price which might
(for all I know) be over double the bike rate and we'd be better going
for a human booth and paying up.

With a Bank Holiday approaching I wanna be sure!

[1] Because in the spring the first two toll boths we hit were
automatic only and they certianly didn't ask what kind of vehicles we
werein/on.

 

Yeah, but plenty are automatic only _and_ if you go for the automatic
you get 'the two or more for one' deal available to bikes.

 

I think you've got it sussed.

If I'm in a group I'll always go for the unmanned booth because you
can get a few bikes through for the price of one car. If the others
are daft enough to pay full rate then that's up them.

 

The toll booths on the Tyne Tunnel are automatic, but they open for bikes if
you lob 20 pence down the chute. They don't open if it's a car though, so
they're obviously got some kind of detector. If they can manage that amount
of complexity oop in t' frozen norf, I'm sure it's at other toll booths
worldwide too.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Good thinking.

 

The booths on the M6 toll road can automatically detect bikes as well.

 

To be honest I didn't think about it. A short while back I was soaking
wet and freezing. I literally couldn't be arsed to remove my soaking,
freezing glove and fish my credit card out an saok my dry wallet and
pocket. More or less out of desperation and despair I tailgated the car
through. It was only 10 minutes after that that my hypothermic [1] mind
triggered that I had avoided the toll. It wasn't a big step from that
to the realization that you can easily get a few bikes through on one
card. ..and that's how I became a not-very-young offender. [2]


[1] Ok, I wasn't, but it makes the story better.

[2] This is absolutely definately not stealing because when I eat out I
always have a more expensive desert and thus the saved toll money goes
into the French economy.

 

No. They're not. Even at the smallest exits you'll always have a
manned booth.

Well of course if it were unmanned that'd be the best option, but TBH
if that were the case you could usually find a way round the barrier
anyway.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

Not at the one Bonners refers to. It was automatic-only, hence why he
managed to sneak through without coughing up. The booth was there, but
comletely empty.

 

Sounds like someone must have screwed up, or perhaps just gone for a
pee. Even if they had both a coin catcher and bank card machines, this
couldn't be intentional, as some/many car/van/truck drivers might not
be able to pay and would therefore be fucked.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

Can't be. I came across two seperate exits a few weeks back with no
manned booth. Maybe some aren't 24 hour, maybe both were a cock up.
IIRC they may have been signed as not 24 hour but that may be my
imagination playing tricks.

Anyway. From my point of view all I need to know is which is most
effective: Slipping two bikes through at the same time at the 'car'
rate or both bikes paying a realperson(tm)?

 

How odd. I've never come across one of these, and frankly, I don't
see, from a logical standpoint, how they could be intentional.

Ahh, now that might make some kind of sense - only 24hr if you've got
card/change. Still be a bummer if you didn't know until you got there.

Neither. Just go round the end of the barrier - I'm sure there's space
to walk through, so you should easily be able to get a bike through.

but to answer your question - a bike is more than half the price of a
car, typically about 60%.
http://www.autoroutes.mgn.fr/upload/pratique/Tarifs04-toutvehicules.pdf
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

And with France being one of the more bike friendly places you can go to,
I'm surprised they're not automatically recognised at their toll booths.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19