Page 253 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

TR A VEL INFORM A TION  251

Rules of the Road DIRECTORY
Remember to drive on the right.
The priorité à droite rule applies, Car Rental
meaning that you must give Ada
way to any vehicle coming out ∑ ada.fr
of a side turning on the right,
unless otherwise signposted. Avis
On main roads a yellow ∑ avis.co.uk
diamond sign indicates where Budget
you have right of way. The ∑ budget.com
priorité à droite does not apply Europecar
at roundabouts, meaning you ∑ europecar.co.uk
have to give way to cars already
on the roundabout. Flashing Hertz
headlights mean the driver is The scenic road through the Grand ∑ hertz.com
claiming right of way. Canyon du Verdon Insurance and
Seatbelts are compulsory for Breakdowns
front and back seats. Children Country and Scenic
under ten are not permitted to AA
travel in front seats apart from Routes ∑ theaa.com
in baby seats facing backwards. One of the pleasures of touring Dépannage Cote d’Azur
Overtaking when there is a Provence is turning off the main Transports
single solid centre line is heavily routes onto small country roads. Tel 04 93 29 87 87.
penalized. In case of breakdown The RN and D (Route Nationale ∑ dcat-depannage.fr
it is compulsory to carry one red and Départmentale) roads are
warning triangle and a good alternatives to motorways. Europ Assistance
luminous vest in the car. The Bison futée (“crafty bison”) signs ∑ europ-assistance.com
autoroutes have emergency indicate alternative routes to RAC
telephones every 2 km. avoid heavy traffic, and are ∑ rac.co.uk
especially helpful during the
French holiday periods, known Traffic Information
Speed Limits and Fines
as the grands départs. The Info Trafic
Great efforts have been made busiest weekends are in mid- ∑ infotrafic.com
to reduce road accidents in July, and at the beginning and
France, and there are now end of August when French Les sociétés d’autoroutes
speed cameras at frequent holidays start and finish. ∑ autoroutes.fr
intervals. Speed limits are: Apart from the busy coastal VINCI Autoroutes
• Motorways 130 km/hr (80 roads, Provence is a wonderful ∑ vinci-autoroutes.com
mph); 110 km/hr (68 mph) in rain. place to drive around. Some of
• Dual carriageways 110 km/hr the best scenic routes include Maps
(68 mph); 50 km/hr (30 mph) the famous Corniche roads Espace IGN
in towns. between Nice and Menton, with 107 rue de la Boétie, 75008 Paris.
• Other roads 90 km/hr (56 mph). splendid sea views, or a tour of Tel 01 43 98 80 00.
Instant fines are issued for the back country of the Massif ∑ ign.fr
speeding and drink-driving. des Maures (see pp120–21). The
Driving with more than 0.5g local tourist office should be Plans-Guides Blay-
of alcohol per litre of blood able to provide you with more Foldex/Berlitz
can also lead to severe fines, information and some maps. 40–48 rue des Meuniers,
93108 Montreuil.
confiscation of your license, Tel 01 49 88 92 10.
or even imprisonment.
Maps ∑ blayfoldex.com
The best general map of Stanfords
Fast Through Routes Provence is the Michelin yellow 12–14 Long Acre, London,
There are three main motorways map No. 245, at a scale of WC2E 9LP. Tel 020 7836 1321
in Provence: the A7 from Lyon to 1:200,000. IGN (Institut ∑ stanfords.co.uk
Marseille, the A9 from Orange Géographique National) maps Bus and Coach
to Barcelona and the A8 from are more detailed. Town plans Companies
Marseille to Menton. The A54 cuts are usually provided free by
across the Camargue from Aix- tourist offices. In large towns Eurolines
en-Provence to Nîmes. The A8 is you may need a more detailed London Victoria Coach Station.
the most expensive stretch of toll map, published by Michelin or UK Tel 08717 818 181.
motorway in France, but allows Plans-Guides Blay-Foldex/ France Tel 08 92 89 90 91.
you to drive from Nice to Aix-en- Berlitz. In the UK, Stanfords is ∑ eurolines.fr
Provence in under two hours. famous for its range of maps. ∑ eurolines.co.uk