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DRIVING

Péage: France to start scrapping motorway tollbooths

Motorists in France will soon be able to drive straight through the péages (tollbooths) and pay later on some motorways, as France begins introducing 'free-flow' highway tolls.

Published: 17 April 2024 12:58 CEST
Updated: 25 April 2024 15:03 CEST
Péage: France to start scrapping motorway tollbooths
An aerial view shows cars arriving at the Saint-Arnoult tollbooth, outside Paris (Photo by Joël SAGET / AFP)

The way motorists in France pay for tolls on motorways is changing. ‘Free-flow’ tollbooths with sensors and cameras are set to be introduced on some autoroutes – allow people to drive straight through and pay later, either online or at the tabac.

In an interview with Ouest France on Sunday, Philippe Coy, the head of the national confederation for tobacconists (tabacs), said that motorways would replace their toll barriers with gates equipped with cameras that vehicles would drive under, confirming a plan that had been first announced in October 2023.

A sensor scan and an automatic photo of the vehicle will be taken, allowing people to keep driving without stopping – similar to the system in place at the Dartford Crossing in the UK. 

The new French technology will first determine whether you have a pre-paid electronic toll badge (known as télépéage) in the car, then it will take note of the category of vehicle (make and model), plus the licence plate number to ensure the right person is billed.

Then, that person will be able to pay their bill either online or in person at certain tabacs afterwards. According to Coy, the option to pay at the tabac will be introduced during the second half of 2024, and it will be available at those that are equipped with the special ‘Nirio’ payment platform.

READ MORE: What is télépéage and how does it work?

Where will the new tolls be introduced?

It will start off on the Paris-Normandy axis, along the A13 and A14 motorways. 

According to reporting by La Dépêche, the first ‘free-flow’ toll has already been installed at the Incarville tollbooth along the A13 in the Eure département.

The project will later be expanded to the A14 motorway by December 2024.

How will the payment work?

The plans to introduce free-flow tollbooths are to be headed up on autoroutes owned by the the North and Eastern motorway company (Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l’Est de la France, or Sanef), although it is likely that other autoroute operators will follow, if it is a success.

As for the deadline for payment, according to Sanef you will have 72 hours to pay after passing through the toll.

To find out the amount to pay, you will either log onto the online payment platform via Sanef.com, or pay with the Nirio platform in the tabac. You will communicate your licence number to find your bill, and then you can pay either by card (online) or card/cash (in person).

Cheques will not be accepted, according to Actu France. The same process would also apply for hire cars.

You will also be able to pay in advance of your journey, if you prefer.

If you have a toll badge (the Liber-t tag) then as long as it is positioned in the windscreen, it will be read and detected when you pass through the toll. You can continue payments as normally with this option.

There will also be the choice to create a Sanef customer account on their website. You will be able to upload your vehicle’s licence number and a bank card to allow for automatic payment.

What about tourists, visitors and those with foreign-registered cars?

The system seems clear for those vehicles with a French number plate, but what about those whose vehicles are registered elsewhere, such as the tens of thousands and tourists and second-home owners who drive in France each year?

The Local put this question to one of the directors of the free-flow tollbooth project with Sanef, Joselito Bellet.

“The rules will be the same for both foreigners and for French motorists. We are trying our best to make sure the system works in the same way for everyone, even if they have a foreign vehicle,” Bellet said.

“People with vehicles with foreign licence plates will be able to pay using the Sanef website, in the same way as those with French vehicles.

“Both will enter their licence plate number and pay the fee, and both have 72 hours to pay. People driving foreign vehicles will also be able to create an account on the Sanef website too, so they can pay in advance if they like.

“We will soon begin working with the tourism offices, as well as the communication teams at the Eurotunnel and at the Port of Calais to help offer more information in English to foreign motorists.

“The Sanef payment website will also be available in English. We will set up a call centre with an English-language option, so people will be able to direct their questions there.”

For rental cars, Bellet explained that the process will be the same: they can either pay using their own personal toll badge (you can use this in different cars, as long as they are the same ‘class’), by creating an account ahead of time, or afterwards using the website or one of the participating tabacs.

He added that will put out flyers and reminders (in English) so that people do not forget to write down their rental vehicle’s licence plate number.

What if you forget to pay?

For those who forget to pay within the 72 hours, there will be a late fee applied.

Bellet explained that if you pay within two weeks of receiving the letter informing you that you forgot to pay, then the fee will only be €10. However, after two weeks, that penalty can go all the way up to €90.

For foreigners covered by the EU car registration system EUCARIS, you will receive a letter informing you that you forgot to pay and explaining (in both French and English) how you can do so and the fee structure if you do not do it right away.

For motorists with vehicles from non-EU countries, including the UK, he said “Sanef will pass through debt collection agencies in those countries and we will follow their local rules for this.”

Why offer payment at tabacs?

As smoking rates drop, tabacs are offering more services including administrative services such as paying bills or taxes.

Coy added that his “goal is to turn tabacs into everyday drugstores. That is to say, places where you can always find the product you want at the last minute: a gift, local products, batteries, headphones, or pens and paper.”

Tabacs are offering more services, including the ability to pay bills and fines, as well as purchasing ammunition (at some stores for eligible people).

READ MORE: Why the tabac is essential to life in France – even if you don’t smoke

In terms of hours, tabacs are usually open six days a week.

Member comments

  1. The tag is by far the simplest and cheapest way to pay. Drive through the toll gate, or under the new cover and your distance, vehicle and toll are logged.
    Nothing to do.
    payment is collected the following month.

  2. Looking for suggestions for those of us who rent cars occasionally. From our experience, by the time the rental company emails us notifications of charges, we are already late. I found payment online to be very convoluted. Can we get a tag each time we rent a car? Good for a week ? Or can we use the tag when driving DIFFERENT rental cars?

  3. Replying to Kathy – we have a tag which we have used in our own cars and rental cars and it’s not car specific. You just need to place it or hold it up where it can be detected as you go through the toll.

  4. We drive in France once or twice a year in a UK-registered car. What is the most practical course of action for holidaymakers like us? Will there still be lanes where payment can be made by credit card?

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DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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