Motorway (France)

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Sign for the highway
Motorways (yellow) and motorway-like national roads ( red) in France (as of 2012)
The A8 at Gorbio .

The motorways ( French : Autoroutes , singular Autoroute ) form the national trunk road network in France and serve not only national and international traffic but also regional traffic. They are managed by various companies. The motorway network is around 11,880 kilometers, of which around 8,000 km are toll roads.

France has the fifth longest worldwide after the National Trunk Highway System (136,000 km) of the People's Republic of China , the Interstate Highway System (77,540 km) in the USA , the motorway system in Spain (17,109 km) and the German motorway network (12,996 km).

The maximum speed on French motorways is 130 km / h, in precipitation 110 km / h. In the area of ​​large cities, there are speed limits to 90 km / h or 70 km / h.

history

France's first road, part of the Autoroute de Normandie , was due to be completed in 1940. Due to the Second World War , however, construction was delayed and the 20 km long section of the route between Orgeval and Saint-Cloud was only opened on June 9, 1946. The official name “Autoroute” was introduced in 1955 and referred to a special traffic route that is only accessible to vehicles with mechanical drives via intersections, but rather via junctions . In addition, the government decided that highways should be built by operating companies and subject to tolls once they are in operation. Just one year later, the first operating company, Autoroute Esterel-Côte-d'Azur (ESCOTA), was established .

In 1960 the plans for the realization of a motorway network with a total length of approx. 3500 km were started, of which approx. 2000 km should be completed before 1975. The first toll section on the A 8 was released as early as 1961 . By 1967 the 1000 km mark of approved motorway sections was exceeded. In 1970 it was decided that concessions could also be granted to completely private companies. In addition, the administration of the motorways was transferred to the established state authority SEM. In 1971 there were seven motorway companies in France under the supervision of SEM and four private companies. The top speed was limited to 130 km / h in 1974. In 1981 the 5000th kilometer was completed. According to a plan presented in 1988, another 2840 km should be realized within ten years.

In 1994 the second reform was passed. Eight operating companies were combined in three regional motorway companies: the SAPRR group with its subsidiary "Area", the ASF group with its subsidiary "Escota" and the SANEF group and its subsidiary SAPN. The reason for this was the poor financial condition of the small businesses. In addition, the newly founded corporations received financial injections from the government in contracts with a term of 5 years.

A third reform followed in 2000. The three motorway operators have now become normal companies that act in accordance with European Union law. The duration of the concessions was usually set until 2028 or 2032. In addition, VAT was applied to the toll rates. The construction and operation of new motorway sections should now be awarded through a tender. These changes led to the establishment of two more private operators. In addition, the controversial privatization of the operating companies became possible.

At the end of 2005, the French state sold its shares in the three most important motorway companies after a Europe-wide tender for 14.8 billion euros. Around ten billion euros of this was used to reduce debt and around four billion euros to develop transport routes. Licenses to operate the roads were issued for a period of 25 years. The roads themselves remained in state ownership. Individual companies and consortia from Germany and abroad were awarded the contract. The operation of the highways, which are mostly already toll roads, was taken over in early 2006.

organization

The current numbering system has existed for the French motorways since 1982. The capital letter A is placed in front of the number to identify it . The corresponding number is related to the geographical location of the motorway. This system is relatively constant, with numerous exceptions.

The numbers A 1 to A 20 (with the exception of the A 7, A 8 and A 9) are assigned to the clockwise routes from Paris. To the north this is the A1 towards Lille with the A2 as a junction towards Brussels ; in an easterly direction the A3 , which meets the A1 after a few kilometers, and the A4 towards Reims and Strasbourg . The A 5 to Troyes and the A 6 to Lyon with the A 7 extension towards Marseille and the A 8 junctions to Nice and Genoa and the A 9 to Montpellier and Barcelona run in a south-easterly direction . From Paris to the southwest, the A 10 run in the direction of Orléans and Bordeaux and the A 11 in the direction of Le Mans and Nantes ; to the west the A 13 towards Rouen and Caen with the A 12 as a short junction to Trappes ; to the northwest the A 14 , which after a few kilometers meets the A 13 and the A 15 to Cergy and finally the A 16 in a northerly direction to Amiens , Calais to the Eurotunnel . The A 19 connects the A 5 and the A 10 between Sens and Chevilly .

The remaining two-digit numbering is assigned according to the following system:

  • A 20 and higher in the north of France (with the exception of the A 20 );
  • A 30 and higher in the northeast, with the A 39 as a southern extension;
  • A 40 and higher in the Rhône-Alpes region ;
  • A 50 and higher in the southeast;
  • A 60 and higher in the southwest;
  • A 70 and higher in the center or in the middle of France;
  • A 80 and higher in the west (except A86 and A89).

Regional highways that connect two larger highways or are feeder highways, for example, have a three-digit number. A 100 and higher are assigned for motorways in Île-de-France ; with numbering from A 200 upwards, the first two digits correspond to the localization analogous to the two-digit ones, so the A 304 corresponds approximately to a "30" in the northeast of the country.

The signposting is quite similar to the German one. It is noticeable that all destinations are always shown in block letters and two destinations in one line are separated by a hyphen. Furthermore, the unit “KM” for kilometers is omitted from the distance tables on the roadside.

In contrast to the German motorway junctions , most of the crosses in France have no names and instead it is only signaled which highways intersect. Junction points, on the other hand, are named as in Germany.

Sign for frequency display of traffic information

Traffic signs indicate the frequency at which the radio station broadcasting traffic information relevant to the route is available.

toll

Toll booth on the A 2 .
Péage de Dole-Choisey on the A 39 .

Motorways in France are operated by various companies. The toll level is not set uniformly, it varies from around 6 € / 100 km. Individual sections are tolled significantly higher (e.g. A 36 between Voujeaucourt and L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs in 2010: 16 km for € 3.30 = € 20.62 / 100 km). There are toll-free bypasses in larger cities (including Paris , Lyon ). In Alsace , no toll is levied on the A 35 parallel to Germany. Due to the truck toll in Germany , part of the truck traffic in the Upper Rhine Valley has shifted to Alsace.

The toll is paid in cash, many machines only accept coins, alternatively with credit cards (Eurocard, Mastercard, Visa) or via electronic billing using a chip (Télépéage).

Operating companies

The toll highways in France are managed by the operators on the basis of a concession granted by the government for the construction and operation of a dedicated section. Operators are also called concessionaires (French: concessionaires ).

At the moment the motorways in France are managed by the following operating companies:

Network development

year 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Length in km 00.036 00.063 00.152 00.634 01,512 03.113 04,814 05,886 06,874 08,217 08,509 08,843 09,293 09,560
year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Length in km 09,721 10,014 10,220 10,376 10,500 10,779 10,830 10,942 11,010 11,168 11,376 11,418 11,446 11,594

Source:

Rest areas and service

Rest areas are indicated early on signposts. This also applies to rest areas. These always have toilets; Sometimes additional facilities such as seating for a picnic or a playground for children are also available. These are also usually indicated beforehand by traffic signs.

This sign indicates that a rest area with seating is available
... or a playground

At the beginning of a motorway section and at irregular intervals, several rest stops are displayed at the same time for the purpose of displaying fuel options and current fuel prices . The motorway filling stations are open all the time, even at night. Rest areas have been set up on newer motorways that can be approached from both directions at the same time. In addition to expensive service areas, there is often a somewhat cheaper self-service area. Rest areas are designed in a modern, typically French design and often reflect regional characteristics architecturally or in relation to the range of goods.

Boulevard périphérique

Boulevard péripherique at the Porte de la Muette
  • The Boulevard périphérique (also BP for short) is an urban motorway built in a ring around Paris between 1954 and 1973, which has up to five lanes in each direction and is often congested. It directs traffic around Paris and into the city.
  • From the standpoint of classification, the boulevard périphérique is a simple communal street (voie communale).
  • The maximum permitted speed is 70 km / h (normally: expressways (voie express) 110 km / h, motorways 130 km / h). The actual average speed is only 43 km / h on working days.

List of highways

See also

Web links

Commons : Autoroutes in France  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Motorway sale brings France 14.8 billion euros (December 14, 2005)
  2. ↑ Controversial decision: France sells motorways for 14.8 billion euros (December 14, 2005)
  3. ↑ Nomenclature des autoroutes françaises (French)
  4. ↑ Évolution du kilométrage des autoroutes françaises (French)
Motorways in France ( list )
Basic network

A 1  • A 2  • A 3  • A 4  • A 5  • A 6  • A 7  • A 8  • A 9  • A 10  • A 11  • A 12  • A 13  • A 14  • A 15  • A 16  • A 19  • A 20  • A 21  • A 22  • A 23  • A 25  • A 26  • A 27  • A 28  • A 29  • A 30  • A 31  • A 33  • A 34  • A 35  • A 36  • A 38  • A 39  • A 40  • A 41  • A 42  • A 43  • A 46  • A 47  • A 48  • A 49  • A 50  • A 51  • A 52  • A 54  • A 55  • A 57  • A 61  • A 62  • A 63  • A 64  • A 65  • A 66  • A 68  • A 71  • A 72  • A 75  • A 77  • A 81  • A 82  • A 83  • A 84  • A 85  • A 86  • A 87  • A 88  • A 89

Supplementary routes

A 103  • A 104  • A 105  • A 106  • A 115  • A 126  • A 131  • A 132  • A 139  • A 140  • A 150  • A 151  • A 154  • A 186  • A 211  • A 216  • A 304  • A 311  • A 313  • A 314  • A 315  • A 320  • A 330  • A 340  • A 344  • A 350  • A 351  • A 352  • A 391  • A 404  • A 406  • A 410  • A 411  • A 430  • A 432  • A 450  • A 466  • A 480  • A 500  • A 501  • A 502  • A 507  • A 515  • A 516  • A 517  • A 520  • A 551  • A 552  • A 557  • A 570  • A 620  • A 621  • A 623  • A 624  • A 630  • A 631  • A 641  • A 645  • A 660  • A 680  • A 710  • A 711  • A 712  • A 714  • A 719  • A 750  • A 811  • A 813  • A 837  • A 844

Lines under construction

A 355

planned routes

A 56  • A 260  • A 319  • A 810

former routes
Reallocation

A 53  • A 67  • A 73  • A 74  • A 170  • A 199  • A 203  • A 401  • A 701  • A 801  • A 821

rejected
planning

A 17  • A 18  • A 24  • A 32  • A 37  • A 44  • A 45  • A 58  • A 79  • A 110  • A 112  • A 346  • A 400  • A 508  • A 510  • A 585  • A 650  • A 749  • A 831  • A 851