2023-08-10 08:30:14
Often freer, but also more expensive than in Germany: Many French people are annoyed about higher tolls on their motorways. Image: AFP
Tolls on French motorways are increasing and increasing. Plans are now in the works to rein in the private operators.
Driving on French motorways can quickly become expensive. This is the experience of many German holidaymakers this summer. For example, more than 60 euros are due in the car for the almost 700-kilometer route from Mulhouse in Alsace to Marseille on the Mediterranean – in pure toll costs. Fuel and food are not included. Only here and there are feeder roads and city motorways for traffic control or routes such as the A35 in Alsace or the A75 in Auvergne for regional economic development exempted from fees. For comparison: the Swiss annual motorway vignette costs the equivalent of just 42 euros, while it is well known that only trucks are charged for using German motorways.
But the toll costs not only catch the eye of foreign tourists, they also cause regular discussions in France. On the one hand, the autobahns are in impeccable condition compared to Germany. There are significantly fewer construction sites, road damage and separate speed limits beyond the obligatory 130 kilometers per hour, which is of course also due to the low traffic density and lower load from trucks. France is centralized and simply has fewer metropolitan areas than Germany. You can often glide over distances of 100 kilometers and more without any restrictions worth mentioning. Unlike in Germany, the use of toilets at motorway service stations is free of charge.
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