Driving through France

[ingenious]

Have you booked your Angouleme hotel? We had to stay miles away!

Yeah, quite some time ago. Four couples are in a hotel in town, the rest of us unaccompanied males (11) are in a converted barn about 12 minutes out

 

[ingenious]

Why don’t you and Biggles leave a few days earlier

Yes, I think that will probably be how we work it. We both have relatives in the cemetery near Ouistreham so that would be a good place to stay.

 

[dgadee]

What does a diamond displayed above a lane mean?

 

[Bouba]

What does a diamond displayed above a lane mean?

No English allowed

 

[dgadee]

No English allowed

Thank God. When I am asked I always say, "Not English! Scottish!" For some reason foreigners like that.

 

[westernman]

What does a diamond displayed above a lane mean?

It means that there are restrictions as to who can use than lane.
Those restrictions will have been indicated on a sign somewhere but are usually something like:

1) car pool - i.e. 2 or 3 or more people in the car
2) public vehicles (taxis, ambulances, busses etc), but not Uber

 

[dunedin]

Thank God. When I am asked I always say, "Not English! Scottish!" For some reason foreigners like that.

Hope you have your Ecosse badge on then. Always gets a friendly welcome.

 

[dunedin]

I am on my way back, just having a coffee south of Lyon. I have no idea whether I have one or not. You pay Europcar a lot of money to take it abroad so hopefully that is sorted. Since I didn't know the reg until I picked up the car I would have had a problem organising it.

Will get back to you for a loan if I am hit with a fine.

I would very much doubt that Europcar organised a CritAir sticker - but if they have it is a big yellow circle (old tax disk size) in the windscreen, probably with a number of”2” (modern car, not EV) plus registration number and QR code.
Not sure what locations need it, but only likely to be in the big cities if divert off the autoroute.
Have a safe trip.
PS. choosing the peak French holiday week of 14th July was a good way to ensure plenty of fellow travellers.

 

[westernman]

I would very much doubt that Europcar organised a CritAir sticker - but if they have it is a big yellow circle (old tax disk size) in the windscreen, probably with a number of”2” (modern car, not EV) plus registration number and QR code.
Not sure what locations need it, but only likely to be in the big cities if divert off the autoroute.
Have a safe trip.
PS. choosing the peak French holiday week of 14th July was a good way to ensure plenty of fellow travellers.

Everything you need is here:-
Le site officiel de la vignette Crit'Air (certificat qualité de l'air) - Ministère de la Transition écologique

Also on the page Le site officiel de la vignette Crit'Air (certificat qualité de l'air) - Ministère de la Transition écologique

"Rassurez-vous, la facture que vous avez reçue lors de votre paiement en ligne contient le certificat provisoire qui atteste de votre commande et, est recevable en cas de contrôle des forces de l’ordre."

Translated:-
"Please be assured that the invoice you received when you made your online payment contains the provisional certificate confirming your order and is valid in the event of a police check."

I.e. you don't need the real certificate at all. You get this reply instantaneously, so perfectly possible to do in the parking lot of the hire car company - if you have a copy of the registration certificate which the hire company should give you. They won't give you the original (otherwise you could go to Poland and sell the car).

 

[Bouba]

Everything you need is here:-
Le site officiel de la vignette Crit'Air (certificat qualité de l'air) - Ministère de la Transition écologique

Also on the page Le site officiel de la vignette Crit'Air (certificat qualité de l'air) - Ministère de la Transition écologique

"Rassurez-vous, la facture que vous avez reçue lors de votre paiement en ligne contient le certificat provisoire qui atteste de votre commande et, est recevable en cas de contrôle des forces de l’ordre."

Translated:-
"Please be assured that the invoice you received when you made your online payment contains the provisional certificate confirming your order and is valid in the event of a police check."

I.e. you don't need the real certificate at all. You get this reply instantaneously, so perfectly possible to do in the parking lot of the hire car company - if you have a copy of the registration certificate which the hire company should give you. They won't give you the original (otherwise you could go to Poland and sell the car).

That’s the problem....you maybe legal...but without a window sticker you might be inviting a stop...in which case they might find other things wrong

 

[dgadee]

That’s the problem....you maybe legal...but without a window sticker you might be inviting a stop...in which case they might find other things wrong

Not far to go and rebellion is in the air. Upmarket Brit cars are going past me with no UK sticker! What will the Europeans think!

 

[Bouba]

Not far to go and rebellion is in the air. Upmarket Brit cars are going past me with no UK sticker! What will the Europeans think!

Round them up !

 

[westernman]

That’s the problem....you maybe legal...but without a window sticker you might be inviting a stop...in which case they might find other things wrong

Probably not. I don't think the police can even be bothered with crit'air.

Anyway, they will do an APNR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) scan and look up whether the car is insured etc on their computer system. If you are crit'air registered, you will be in clear regardless of whether there is a sticker in your window. They have also done away with the little green insurance sticker as well.

 

[westernman]

Not far to go and rebellion is in the air. Upmarket Brit cars are going past me with no UK sticker! What will the Europeans think!

A long time ago (1985 - long before Schengen) when I drove an Austrian registered car across the border into Germany I got stopped because I had no A sticker on the back. I had to buy one at an inflated price from the border guard.

 

[dgadee]

11 hours Port Napoleon to Calais. Car almost ran away at last toll - no idea how this handbrake works. What was wrong with the mechanical type?

Quite a few Brit cars with no sticker.

 

[dgadee]

Round them up !

Round up all those Teslas! We have them flying about central Edinburgh but they are everywhere in huge numbers. Musk is costing me a fortune in his subsidies.

My other thought for the day is grey is the new white in car colour.

 

[Bouba]

Round up all those Teslas! We have them flying about central Edinburgh but they are everywhere in huge numbers. Musk is costing me a fortune in his subsidies.

My other thought for the day is grey is the new white in car colour.

I don’t mind most colors....but I hate the flat colors....a car should shine

 

[dgadee]

Probably not. I don't think the police can even be bothered with crit'air.

Anyway, they will do an APNR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) scan and look up whether the car is insured etc on their computer system. If you are crit'air registered, you will be in clear regardless of whether there is a sticker in your window. They have also done away with the little green insurance sticker as well.

How can they find out if a UK car is insured or not? Didn't they cut the links to UK databases in response to Brexit?

 

[dgadee]

Also - re decrepit Triumphs which are in danger of breaking down - did I see Brit cars on a car loader being brought north? Maybe you can get your vehicle transferred south on the back of a lorry? No need to trail it yourself.

 

[dgadee]

A long time ago (1985 - long before Schengen) when I drove an Austrian registered car across the border into Germany I got stopped because I had no A sticker on the back. I had to buy one at an inflated price from the border guard.

I spent 1992/3 in Munich under the radar. Never told the police I was there with a car. Had no idea you were meant to register as an Auslander. Maybe I wasn't even properly insured. Amelia Strasse. Used to pop over to Austria on cross country skis. Happy memories.