The new length of A28 from Alencon to Rouen opened on 27th October. I chanced upon it on the first day. It's a lovely road, costs around 11 euros and saved me about an hour on the old N138.
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"saved me about an hour on the old N138"
and the stress! N138 always seems heavily populated with HGVs and other traffic travelling fast and close together on what is, in places a very narrow and twisty road and dangerous to overtake on. Several towns and villages also to negotiate (Brionne, Gace etc.)
Good news!
Phil
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>Good news!
Toll roads are a success. Discuss. (I love 'em.)
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No other way to drive down through France; the sheer lack of traffic most months and the ability to maintain a steady 90mph almost without risk of prosecution make it more than worth the tolls.
Service stations and rest areas are second to none.
Love 'em too!
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A mate told me this was opened on 21st (tinyurl.com/brkj4 ). It will save time and effort on that journey.
Not so sure about the steady 90 - French police are cracking down on speeding, and the ACO (French equiv of our AA) emailed me to say that there is a discussion going on about reducing motorway limits en France from 130 kph to 100 kph (fuel saving measure and safety apparently).
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French radar guns pop-off at 136 Km/h after allowing for a 10% margin. The majority of speed cameras are hidden in the boot of Megane or Focus estate cars and the Gendarme will then radio ahead to a couple of blue BMW's that'll invite you to the next petrol station or rest area. It's not a very nice feeling-one in front and one behind....! I guess you can drive at around 140 Km/h without the risk of immediate fine. If you are stopped by the Gendarmes- try not to hand over your driving license as they have a habit of keeping it until you pay the instant fine! The usual amont is around 90 Euro's if you are 20 Km/h over limit. 50 Km/h over limit and it's possible they may want to confiscate car and invite you to local dungeon. You can also get immediate fines for hogging the middle lane on 3 lane motorways. As for paying road tolls: Yes, the autoroutes are fabulous here. I save time and probably loads of money driving around France for business. My monthly bill is on average 250 Euro per month. The sums are paid via direct debit and I pay a monthly fee for a beeper system that opens the toll gate automatically. I do around 50.000 Km's per year on French roads. In France only 5% of road accident deaths are caused on French autoroutes. The figure is still around 6.000 a year.
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What a shame that new autoroute section is open just a month after P and O stopped running the Portsmouth-Le Havre ferry service!
That last stretch from Alencon across was a real pain when coming up from the south.
Is the rumoured replacement ferry service from Le Havre operating now?
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What a shame that new autoroute section is open just a month after P and O stopped running the Portsmouth-Le Havre ferry service! That last stretch from Alencon across was a real pain when coming up from the south. Is the rumoured replacement ferry service from Le Havre operating now?
Yes, it's LD Lines and they started on 3rd October.
From all accounts they offer a good service and tons cheaper than Brittany Ferries. Only downside is the paucity of cabin accommodation.
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Dulwich,
Just out of interest - where does the new bit join the existing system at Rouen? Is it near Maison Brulee or more direct to Rouen?
Phil
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Good question - does this mean the tunnel (with it's speed cameras) and the trek (often getting lost) around the industrial end of Rouen is a thing of the past?
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"the trek (often getting lost) around the industrial end of Rouen is a thing of the past?"
You'll be lucky! I'd just like it to be the same route signposted twice in a row - mind you it's a lot better than it used to be.
Phil
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