Toys out of Pram. Overtaking Roger Wills cost me 90 Euros for the MRL race at Le Mans - Page 2

henk4 · 26 Jun 2013, 17:22 (Ref:3270102)

Quote:

Originally Posted by john ruston

...and most drive stupidly on Tour Auto.It is crazy on road sections.

and this time it is not only the Brits...

ensign14 · 27 Jun 2013, 07:41 (Ref:3270333)

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunder

Lincolnshire used to call Cadwell PArk superbikes, pay day

Scotland has to be the worst, going up there before a bank holiday I have heard countless stories of scores of English being done for pathetically low speeds or very minor offences, speed camera vans everywhere etc.

Easy pay day for the Jock polis I guess

Spent a year in Scotland, much of which saw me bombing up and down the A9 and A70somethings. Never got caught speeding.

Helped sticking to the speed limits though.

ensign14 · 27 Jun 2013, 07:44 (Ref:3270334)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Agreed.

But hey, just slow down.... There's no need for paranoia about speed limits in France if you just slow down.

One problem I found in France was that speed limits changed with more caprice than even in the UK. And there are fewer "reminder" signs. It was impossible to tell from any given stretch of road whether the limit was 70 or 130.

SAMD · 27 Jun 2013, 08:07 (Ref:3270346)

I did one of those speed driving courses in England a few years back. I could've got out of it but I wanted to do it so.... 2 things I got out of it,
1,if you are travelling at 30mph in a 30mph limit and a bus is stopped at a bus stop. The bus is 30 ft long and as you pass the rear of the bus a child steps out from the front of the bus. At what speed do you hit the child? Ans. 30mph because using the fastest reaction times recorded (Johnny Herberts) means the retardation effect from braking is only starting after 30ft.
A salutary lesson for every road user.

2, If I could remember what it is I would say.

SAMD · 27 Jun 2013, 08:19 (Ref:3270354)

Oh yes, now I remember!
Item 2, The instructor guys got a hard time. "You guys are only here for the money" "The police are making a fortune out of the speed cameras" all that sort of thing. And at the end the instructor said the truest thing, Forget about the speed cameras, forget about the tickets, forget about us lot, but remember one thing, if you want to beat every fixed camera, mobile camera, et al, it can be done. Just stick to the speed limits.

Al Weyman · 27 Jun 2013, 08:55 (Ref:3270378)

I had an interesting experience with the euro police back in the early 70's. I had a 58 VW Microbus camper me and an ex were touring the continent in. I left Switzerland via that big tunnel in to Austria and they wanted some ridiculous fee to go through there and as I didnt have any money any how I just drove straight through the barrier and gave them a wave. We got at least three or four miles down the road and I said to my girlfriend, see no problem we got away with it, then turns the corner and I kid you not there was an ARMED roadblock of Austrian police! They pulled me in I thought here we go down the cells for a beating but no they were great laughing and joking and calling me a naughty boy etc then two motorcycle outriders escorted me down to the nearest town where I had to withdraw funds and pay the fine and the fee. We all shook hands afterwards and they waved me off on my way.

Moosehead · 27 Jun 2013, 18:38 (Ref:3270741)

Going on a bit of a Euro road trip end of July, WAS looking forward to enjoying the driving but with all of the above and local plod seemingly out to fleece us Brits I'm having second thoughts!

SidewaysFeltham · 27 Jun 2013, 19:20 (Ref:3270770)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAMD

1,if you are travelling at 30mph in a 30mph limit and a bus is stopped at a bus stop. The bus is 30 ft long and as you pass the rear of the bus a child steps out from the front of the bus. At what speed do you hit the child? Ans. 30mph because using the fastest reaction times recorded (Johnny Herberts) means the retardation effect from braking is only starting after 30ft.
A salutary lesson for every road user.

Worth remembering the guy in a panel van, driving through a housing estate at 28 MPH: and a young kid stepped into the road.

The driver killed him.

In his summing up, the learned judge pointed out that in built up areas the 30 MPH speed limit was a maximum!

A driver was not entitled to assume one could drive at the top end of the speed limit with impunity: it was a matter of adjusting speed to the road conditions and more critically, the expectation of what might occur.

In France, around schools there are usually maximum limits of 30 KPH; 50 KPH is the limit in "Communes": i.e. villages and/or on otherwise single lane roads limited to a maximum of 90 KPH.

However and that said, beware! often there are no warning signs prior to communes, in communes and associated with communes! One is expected to realise "Buildings - people- 50KPH"

Often, where buildings are sparse, the 50 KPH limit will be elevated to 70 KPH, however, this will usually be marked thus.

Usually by a round black on white sign and when this terminates, the "70KPH" reappears with a diagonal line slashing thru the limit indicating it no longer applies

SidewaysFeltham · 27 Jun 2013, 19:43 (Ref:3270792)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moosehead

Going on a bit of a Euro road trip end of July, WAS looking forward to enjoying the driving but with all of the above and local plod seemingly out to fleece us Brits I'm having second thoughts!

Relax!

Don't take the pee and you will be fine; promise!

Enjoy the best road system going; well marked and, unlike the UK major routes above road so you don't suffer the "Where the * am I going?" syndrome,'cos sixteen Hungarian trucks in convoy block your view of the pathetic roadside signage.

Also, there are copious turn offs and clover leafs, so if you wrong slot, you simply toddle along to the next, leave the péage or autoroute, turn around and rejoin for the correct bit.

Just like the, err, M40 etc......

Also, in France, pour example, regular "Faires" are littered along the road: loos, picnic areas, fresh water, loads of parking and free. Interspersed are full service areas, with fuel, showers (free) and little shops and snacky food. The coffee from the machines is very good too (honest!); and the prices make Grenada services etc pale into insignificance.

Also,depending where you, are "Restop" faires; which offer pretty good meals at reasonable cost.

A look at the European road map shows how the system has been, well, err planned.

Just like the UK: not.

Enjoy and have fun!

Derwent Motorsp · 27 Jun 2013, 20:27 (Ref:3270847)

Perhaps this thread needs to be moved to another area?
It's not in the right place and it's boring!

rogerwills · 27 Jun 2013, 22:13 (Ref:3270919)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClaireSmith

Thats right all, for those of you that were not on Facebook, On the way down to Le mans last week...I noticed a car coming the other way down the peage flashing his lights...I eased off to see a creamy white 4x4 on my side of the road...clearly caught speeding....poor chap I thought...

about 20 mins later and the same white 4 x 4 (although i didn't realise it was) is now in my mirror....and he and I now begin to play....you know...he goes in front, then I do...then he does....anyway ...I get bored and overtake him...and put my foot down....suddenly...he eases off and I wonder why

round the corner a lone figure on a motorcycle is awaiting...I have now slowed...and as soon as I pass him....he joins the motorway....and...he has friends...they are blue and are attached to his handlebars....he signals for me to pull off.

I must say he was the politest (and actually quite dishy) copper..."'Bonjour Madam....szis car...is a very fast car....but it should only ave been doing 130 kph....but it was doing 158kph....." "the fine for this is 90 euros and is payable immediately!"

Trouble is we only had 87 on us!!!! so we had to be escorted to a local bank to get some funds!

He then escorted us back to the motorway and waved goodbye

Moral of the story...If ya wanna race Roger Wills.....do it on a track....although...thinking about it ...it wont be any cheaper at all to do that will it!!!

Very amusing it was.

I had been busted a few miles earlier and would have been down for the second fine if you hadn't decided to gun it past me. I did chuckle to myself when I spotted the trap and you being lead off the peage by the gendarme motorbike.

MartinSmith · 27 Jun 2013, 22:18 (Ref:3270921)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerwills

Very amusing it was.

I had been busted a few miles earlier and would have been down for the second fine if you hadn't decided to gun it past me. I did chuckle to myself when I spotted the trap and you being lead off the peage by the gendarme motorbike.

lol ...was funny....You should enter the 360 now as a token of your appreciation of me saving you!

Dave Brand · 28 Jun 2013, 08:55 (Ref:3271081)

Quote:

However and that said, beware! often there are no warning signs prior to communes, in communes and associated with communes! One is expected to realise "Buildings - people- 50KPH"

The sign you see when entering a town, village or whatever, white with a red border giving the name of the town, indicates the start of a 50 km/h limit. When you leave the town you'll see a similar sign with a diagonal red line; that indicates the end of the 50 km/h limit.

Quote:

Also, in France, pour example, regular "Faires" are littered along the road:

Are they related to "aires"?

john ruston · 28 Jun 2013, 10:04 (Ref:3271124)

I was entertained throughout the weekend by the story!

We left the circuit at 2 45 Saturday ,15 mins before the 24 hrs started ,and didn't see any plod on our trip to the boat which is probably a good thing.

henk4 · 28 Jun 2013, 10:07 (Ref:3271127)

Quote:

Originally Posted by john ruston

I was entertained throughout the weekend by the story!

We left the circuit at 2 45 Saturday ,15 mins before the 24 hrs started ,and didn't see any plod on our trip to the boat which is probably a good thing.

did you have time to check your PM box????

john ruston · 28 Jun 2013, 10:36 (Ref:3271135)

No but will now as both you and Claire have been after me.

henk4 · 28 Jun 2013, 10:38 (Ref:3271136)

Quote:

Originally Posted by john ruston

No but will now as both you and Claire have been after me.

don't take that too literally as least as far as I am concerned...

MartinSmith · 28 Jun 2013, 10:45 (Ref:3271140)

Quote:

Originally Posted by john ruston

No but will now as both you and Claire have been after me.

Moi? never....well...ok maybe a little

SidewaysFeltham · 28 Jun 2013, 11:31 (Ref:3271162)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Brand

The sign you see when entering a town, village or whatever, white with a red border giving the name of the town, indicates the start of a 50 km/h limit. When you leave the town you'll see a similar sign with a diagonal red line; that indicates the end of the 50 km/h limit.

Not all the time: and definitely not in "our" part of la belle France.

Signage varies considerably: and as I stated, earlier, many small communes have no warning signs re speed limits. One is expected to know.

Quote:

Are they related to "aires"?

Indeed: slip of the mind/keyboard resulting from posting, en passant.

Clive Brown · 28 Jun 2013, 13:00 (Ref:3271205)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidewaysFeltham

en passant.

I'll thankee not to use any of your fancy lah-di-dah Foreign swearing on this Forum, if you wouldn't mind....

Dave Brand · 28 Jun 2013, 15:33 (Ref:3271258)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidewaysFeltham

Not all the time: and definitely not in "our" part of la belle France.

I must have been lucky, then! Maybe they expect common sense to apply . . . or maybe not!

With the ban on speed camera detectors, etc., has the signing of "radars" changed? Last time I was in France (Pas-de-Calais) every time I saw a fixed speed camera there was a sign about 200m before it & vice-versa.

Marcus Mussa · 28 Jun 2013, 16:12 (Ref:3271265)

Expanding on this rather boring subject. As I drive a lot in France I have a gadget called a "Coyote". It is perfectly legal. It is a GPS which tells you your speed and warns you of "danger" ahead i.e. fixed radars and common places for mobile radars. All "Coyote" users are connected, so if somebody ahead of you spots a mobile radar he presses a button (on the right of the gadget) when it is on his side (i.e. your side) of the road, or on the left of the gadget if the trap is on the other side. You are then immediately warned when you approach the trap and the gadget flashes and bleeps madly at you. The only problem is that 80% of the time it is a false alert (or the police have moved somewhere else). But if you slow down each time it bleeps you end up by avoiding the mobile speed traps. You only need to miss one and you have paid for the gadget (apart from the time wasted and so on). The French have now come up with mobile radars (all fitted apparently to black Renault Meganes), which are undetectable (you dont even see the flash, it is done with infra-red cameras). However I understand they do not bother unless you are well over the limit (say 90 in a 50 km zone).
The Coyote constantly updates you on the number of fellow "scouts" ahead of you and the distance from the next one. You also get brownie points by confirming (or not) that the mobile radar traps are still there. So you get classed as a "good scout" or presumably "bad scout" (I dont know as of course I am a good scout).
It's a bit like CB used to be when it was, which it isn't much any longer, if you get me.
The 90 Euro fine is only for foreigners (like me with my Monaco plates). The French get a fine in the post and points docked off their licences.

SidewaysFeltham · 28 Jun 2013, 20:38 (Ref:3271372)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Brand

I must have been lucky, then! Maybe they expect common sense to apply . . . or maybe not!

With the ban on speed camera detectors, etc., has the signing of "radars" changed? Last time I was in France (Pas-de-Calais) every time I saw a fixed speed camera there was a sign about 200m before it & vice-versa.

Well, Pas de Calais (Nord) is where we are at: a spit and a throw from Azincourt as they French insist on calling it; or Agincourt, as do we.

Not too far away is a small commune called Canlers, which I regularly pass en route to my nearby Canton town. And Canler is, naturally, a limit, but, 70 KPH 'cos the main road passes a side road to the commune but there are a few houses littered along the way........

The local Gendarmerie hide in hidden access bits to fields, mainly behind large mature hedges.

No warning signage!

Elsewhere, there are permanent warning signs: and where they are sited I have never ever seen plod, driving over such roads loads of times.

SidewaysFeltham · 28 Jun 2013, 20:39 (Ref:3271373)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

I'll thankee not to use any of your fancy lah-di-dah Foreign swearing on this Forum, if you wouldn't mind....

Well, pardon my French!

terence · 4 Jul 2013, 06:13 (Ref:3273678)

Having had to return [unfortunately, but thankfully only a flying visit!] to the Immigrant Money Pit. We drove from Nurburg yesterday,back to Cambridge. This must be some kind of record,not ONE Police Car/Bike was seen during the whole trip!
Generally,Autoroutes/Autobahn driving standards are much higher than those displayed in the yUK.

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