How much of the new tax will be passed on to the customer and how long before the rise in prices affects the person in the street?
So it looks like all the free autoroutes and dual carriageways will now be tolled automatically.
Any signs of a transport industry backlash?
The new Eco tax is only going to affect the National/Departmental roads.
I would say that the majority of transport uses Autoroutes these days, due to weight restrictions, time saving, etc. and these are already payable
This was bound to happen when the Germans brought the MAUT in, every man and his dog started to use the French, Belgian and Dutch roads more.
The French roads are good but with a French lorry combination only paying about a drivers weekly wage per year, there isnt a lot of spare money for repairs
The nationals are much slower, many roundabouts and you get agricultural traffic all year round, more wear and tear on the vehicle, and if in a manual gear box the driver is more tired.
The plus side is you can stop when and where you want for a quick coffee au lait and have a meal at the Rouitier which will slowly go out of business with all the trucks on the toll roads.
If running at night the Gendarmes and Douanes like their sleep, so less likely to get a tug at night in a sleepy village.
They are always on the peages for the “control de camions.”
The UK had a similar plan to the French with a black box in all vehicles where a GPS system would track your route and you pay for rush hours and congested routes.
The tarmac on the toll roads in France is superior, you float along with no noise from the tyres, you do not get tired.
It is all do with the porous quality to reduce noise.