Thousandth speed camera
It is a milestone, but there was no party at all. The french have their thousandth speed camera. Some 700 of them are fixed, the others are used in mobile units.
For those who want to know, TV-station RTL reports the thousandth camera box (unlike in the UK and Hollandthe cameras in France are not on poles, but on the ground) is to find in the tiny village of Pèroy-les-Gondries, near Compiègne.
More important, the French government thinks 1.000 cameras are not enough to reduce the dangers of traffic. Next year, another 500 will be placed.
In the first ten months, speeding car drivers payed the government 146 million euro. On the other hand, vandalism bij angry drivers and other vandals costed lousy 4 million euro.
Posted by Peter at 08:44 AM [What do you think?]
First anniversary of the Viaduct of Millau
The opening of the De opening van het Viaduc de Millau, exactly a year ago, wasn't a bad thing for this tiny city in the Cevennes area. TV-station France 3 reports in this year a 130.000 tourists visited the local tourist office, against an annual average of 80.000 before the opening. The visitors center at the bridge attired 300.000 vititors.
However, people in Millau don't want to talk about a golden bridge. They think the extra tourists will not come back, once they've seen it. To keep them coming, the municipality and the toll company will organize all kind of festivities.
Meanwhile, the bridge offers a fast connection from Paris to the Mediterranean and Spain. This is much appreciated. Soon the toll company will open four extra toll gates, making a total of 18.
Posted by Peter at 07:57 AM [What do you think?]
The railway company ever again
Railway companies seem to be problem everywhere. British Railways are notorious. Dutch railways have delays from the moment the first autumn leaves fall onto the rails.
SNCF, the french railways, has its problems too. Last week, they happily celebrated the extension of the tgv-network from Rennes to the harbour city of Saint-Malo in Brittany. From this restaurated medieval city to Paris now only takes three hours, a gain of 25 minutes.
But people in Saint-Malo are complaining, France 3 reports. The first tgv in the morning leaves at 111.15 A.M. Now they still can't do Paris in one day...
Posted by Peter at 07:33 AM [What do you think?]
Attentive french: you asked about the A28
Somewhile ago, somebody in my family asked me to mail motorway company Cofiroute asking when the motorway A28 between Tours en Le Mans would open.. They only could tell me then in the worst case it would be by half december, which wasn't helping us very much. However, yesterday I received a new mail from Cofiroute: ,,We are now able to tell you the A28 will open december 14th, at 14.00 hours.''
Of course this fact is worth celebrating. According to Cofiroute you can avoid Paris on your way from Belgium to Spain without leaving the autoroute. Now that's not completely true. In Rouen, you still have to cross trhe city.
Posted by Peter at 10:43 AM [What do you think?]
The Aquitaine Bridge is ready for use again
good news for those who want to visit Les Landes next summer. After years of labour, the bridge above the Garonne just north of Bordeaux, will be reopened in the week of Christmas.
According to France 3, the bridge, a juwel of french bridge building, not only meets modern standards. There also is an extra lane in each direction, bringing the amount of lanes to six.
Posted by Peter at 07:55 AM [What do you think?]
