The French traffic edition this week.
1. I was more than a little amused to note that the French like to hand out lectures on their road signs as well, although they tend more towards the mathematical equation approach:
Speed + too close = danger!
There was also a mysterious one about ‘wild rubbish’, which I shall leave you to work out, but it was also dangerous ;o)
2. The French in the north of the country don’t appear to suffer from MLDA or OLDA, returning neatly to the slow lane after each pass, but the Belgians, Dutch and Germans obviously are fans, given how many of them were clogging up the Autoroute Du Soleil.
3. Did you know the motorways have variable speed limits depending on the weather? 110 if it’s raining, and 130 at all other times. Probably a good job we don’t have that in the UK, we’d never hit the 130…
4. Useful things to note, if you’re on a moped, the No Entry signs don’t really mean it, just feel free to go wherever you like!
5. Seen on the side of a Dutch van ‘Inspire the next!’ Inspire the next what?!
We pass a sign on a tunnel on the way into the nearest town in France that seems to imply that cars frequently explode there! No idea what that is about.
Motorcyclists on the Paris Peripherique also seem to think that when there is a traffic jam (most of the time!) there is an invisible lane down the middle of the road especially for them. Woe betide any driver who strays into their space they are not beyond the occasional thump on the bonnet to remind you!
I'm sure Jack was pleased to find he can go anywhere on his new moped
110 is the standard open road speed limit here …cant even imagine what it would be like to sit at 130!
I hear driving in Italy is like taking your life in your hands…
Our introduction to driving in Italy was having to reverse on a dual carriageway!! because someone had missed his exit and refused to carry on! Argh!
Argh, the mopeds and scooters, they're the worst. Law unto themselves!
Argh, the mopeds and scooters, they're the worst. Law unto themselves!
I've never had to drive on European roads, though I've been a passenger, but most of what I know about them, I've gleaned from your random posts! Thanks, as always, for the entertainment and education! 🙂
Fun Random traffic things!! I would love to zip around on a moped.
You're doing France, I'm doing Vietnam – are we just running hemispherically opposite lives?!
Happy to see that you are being inspired and confused on the other side of the channel.
Get to know the road rules before you start would be my line of attack. If I didn't I would be past the sign before I realized what it meant.
Keep safe
Hugs Kay
Ha! Ha! What an adventure. I want a moped!
I think you need to move to Sark!
What Shay said! 100kmh is our speed limit for most open roads in Australia, it used to be 110 but got reduced. I can't imagine going 130!Thats so fast.
Is #4 for real or is that sarcasm, a bit like cyclists in London? 😉