Drivers warned of barrier-free toll booths along major motorways - 'System is unbearable'
The toll booths are unsupervised
GETTY
Drivers heading to France this summer have been warned of new motorway automatic tolls which are causing mayhem.
The new system involves having unsupervised tolls along the motorway in a bid to be more environmentally friendly.
However, the reliance on technology comes at a shortfall with many drivers reporting issues with payments.
In one case, The Connexion reported that a driver was fined €90 (£76) for failing to pay a 30 cent péage fee.
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M6 has been taxing drivers since 2002
GETTYThe new “barrier-free” motorways, called ‘autoroutes à flux libre’ in French, do not have physical péage or toll booths, compared to the popular M6 toll route in the UK.
The barrier-less toll booths were put in place to help reduce congestion for drivers and make journeys faster and environmentally friendly.
They work by making drivers pay at the start or end of their journeys, rather than breaking up their journey by stopping to pay the tax.
Instead of the official booths, the toll routes have cameras and number plate detectors which can monitor who has paid.
Drivers pay through the motorway company’s website or through a télépéage pre-paid electronic badge.
But in some cases) they can simply pay via a tobacconist store at the Française des Jeux portal.
On the A79, between Sazeret and Digoin for example, there are 16 payment booths at the border of the motorway, which allow drivers to pay either by card or cash.
Pierre Meau, client director for the Autoroutes-Paris-Rhin-Rhone, said: “Clients have 72 hours to pay for their journey [if not pre-paid].”
Drivers who fail to pay risk a €90 (£76) fine, as well as the cost of the péage but the fine sharply increases to €375 (£319) if it is not paid in 60 days.
A driver was caught out by the camera along the A13 motorway between Paris and Normandy.
He stated: “I did not see this new system at all on the way out, and only noticed it on the way back. I had to do the legwork myself to pay.”
Due to there being no payment terminal or barrier on the road, it has sparked confusion among drivers who often pass through the tolls unknowingly.
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Drivers in France must pay the toll or could be fines £76
PAThe driver added: “I have [now] paid, but the system is unbearable.”
On top of the barrier-free tolls, drivers are also being warned of potential rises in motorway taxes.
Reports have suggested that the péage tariffs could rise by as much as five per cent next year if they pass through the Government.