french speed limits over 3.5 tonnes

[cookie2]

Hi Folks,
Can anyone confirm speed limits in France for car/caravan exceeding 3.5 tonnes please? Also, does the speed limit reduction in wet weather apply to these figures.What about using the outside(overtaking) lane?
Any advice on these matters would be gratefully received as i have changed my vehicle and now exceed this limit. Does anyone have any idea if this law is enforced even, as i have seen many large outfits exceeding this limit?
Thanks
Cookie

 

[JohnGriffiths]

I have no direct experience but I would strongly suggest keeping within the limits, after all they are not very different for any car and caravan combo in the UK. General consensus in this forum last year when there was much discussion on this topic was that the limits were without doubt enforcable. Stickers on the caravan proclaiming your limits are probably not but if you exceed the limits and get stopped that is probably something else they would book you for.

 

[cookie2]

Thanks for that Lutz,i thought that was the case.
Thanks John for the reply, i do intend to stick to the limit, which is why i'm asking...it's just nice to know how relaxed they are so that you're not permanently watching your speedo like you have to in this country!
Cheers
Cookie

 

[OmOnWeelz]

I wouldn't worry to much if you drift over the limit, nobody seems to have told the French Traveller-Gypsy cravanners about these speed limits. On our trip to Germany last month we met two lots of wagon train style travellers. One lot passed us with satellite dishes dancing on thir humongous twin axle caravans towed by largish vans and crew cab pickups and two even had trailers attached to the caravans. Nearer to 70 mph or more on both occassions.

 

[Lutz]

According to Article R 413-8 of the French Code de la Route the speed limits for outfits over 3.5 tonnes are 90km/h on autoroutes and dual carriageways and 80km/h elsewhere.
Here is the full text in its original form:
La vitesse des véhicules dont le poids total autorisé en charge est supérieur à 3,5 tonnes ou des ensembles de véhicules dont le poids total roulant autorisé est supérieur à 3,5 tonnes, à l'exception des véhicules de transport en commun, est limitée à :
1° 90 km/h sur les autoroutes ;
2° 80 km/h sur les routes à caractère prioritaire et signalées comme telles. Toutefois, cette vitesse maximale est relevée à 90 km/h pour les véhicules dont le poids total est inférieur ou égal à 12 tonnes sur les routes à deux chaussées séparées par un terre-plein central ;
3° 80 km/h sur les autres routes. Toutefois, cette vitesse maximale est abaissée à 60 km/h pour les véhicules articulés ou avec remorque dont le poids total est supérieur à 12 tonnes.
4° 50 km/h en agglomération. Toutefois, cette vitesse maximale est relevée à 80 km/h sur le boulevard périphérique de Paris.

To my knowledge, the outside lane of a 3 lane autoroute must not be used, but I don't know exactly where this is explictly stated.