I’m working in Maison-Alfort this week - a suburb in the South East of Paris. Last night I was in a hotel in La Defence, the business district in the North West (to have dinner with a friend). This morning the taxi went around the Peripherique (Ring Road), and the traffic was pretty bad in places.
In one place slightly to the West of Orly airport, there was a Police Van parked on the right hand side, causing congestion as everyone squeezed onto the other two lanes. Caused my journey perhaps an extra 5-10 minutes. Of course, motorbikes were filtering through without any issues - I remember thinking to myself “it’s a real shame I don’t have my bike with me”. But then, a few hundred yards further down the road, was a Police car and a bunch of bikes parked up on the side of the road. I asked my driver what was going on, and he said that the Police were giving them tickets for “overtaking on the right”!! Apparently the Police deliberately do this every now and again, some local bikers are wise to it but many (including foreigners) get caught and end up having to pay a fine.
I’ve ridden the Paris Peripherique on a bike and it’s totally mental. I don’t see how anyone could ride it without having to squeeze between cars here and there…
I’ve only ridden a motorcycle in France once and, given all the horror stories I keep hearing about developments there in terms of the laws/police and motorcycles, I intend to keep it that way.
A pity, as there are some good roads and nice places in France.
The law in France is no different to here regards filtering/undertaking just that the French can & will use entrapment methods. I have found that this only goes on in the major cities in France, generally once you are south of Paris keep off the motorways and don’t ride like a right nob you won’t have any problems.
That’s not entirely true. You are allowed to pass on the inside of slower moving/stationary vehicles in the UK. Otherwise you’d never get anywhere in a traffic jam. In fact, do those Frenchies fine car drivers in a traffic jam for passing on the inside when their lane of traffic is moving and the one next to them isn’t? I doubt it. In which case, how can they fine bikers for doing the same thing? Is there a specific law in France that bans filtering, or is it just an extension of no passing on the right?
what was the fine westie? Mate its odd as i have never had any real problems in france, got pulled once nearly calais but when i told him i had ridden from barcelona that day he let me off. Im a bit disappointed, i esp don’t want a big fine or worse to loose my bike.
Yes we are. The police in Paris are causing traffic jams by slowing down the cars and blocking lanes.
In the UK it is legal to pass on the nearside if traffic in the other lanes is moving slower. This is why filtering is legal in the UK and not in France, where they have a ‘no passing on the right side under any circumstances’ rule. As far as I’m aware, the laws governing road use in the UK apply to bikes and cars equally and there are no laws that apply specifically to bikes, meaning there is no differentiation or discrimination.
If the Frenchies are using the no passing on the right “under any circumstances” legislation to fine bikes, then how can they not do the same to cars passing on the right of vehicles stuck in traffic in the other lanes? Unless they’re enforcing bike-specific laws…
